The Iranian warship Iris Dena was given permission by India to dock three days before it was torpedoed by a U.S. submarine, India has said.

Foreign Minister, S Jaishankar said Iran had sought permission for three of its ships to dock at Indian ports on February 28, the day the U.S. and Israel began a war on Iran and permission was granted by India on March 1.

The ships’ movements between March 1 and 4 are not clear. Only one of them stayed back in India.

The sinking of the Iris Dena, with 130 sailors on board, in international waters off Sri Lanka’s southern coast on March 4 marked a dramatic widening of the war and raised questions about India’s authority in its backyard.

It was the first military strike outside the Middle East since the U.S. and Israel launched their war on Iran. President Donald Trump has said destroying Iran’s navy is one aim of the assault.

The three Iranian ships, Iris Dena, Iris Bushehr and Iris Lavan had all participated in a military exercise hosted by India between February 15 and 25 in the coastal city of Visakhapatnam.

They left Indian waters on February 25 and were likely to have been in international waters on February 28 when the U.S. and Israel began attacking Iran.

“The Iranian side had requested permission on February 28 for three ships in the region to dock at our ports. This was accorded on March 1. Iris Lavan actually docked on March 4 in Kochi. The crew is currently in Indian naval facilities. We believe that this was the right thing to do,” Jaishankar told parliament yesterday.

On March 4, Iris Dena sank after being hit by a torpedo fired from a U.S. submarine, killing at least 87 of its crew members.

According to the Indian Navy, the Iris Dena was operating about 20 nautical miles roughly 23 miles (37km) west of Galle in waters that fall under Sri Lanka’s designated search-and-rescue zone on the day it was struck.

The U.S. tracks vessels across the world’s oceans, and a quarter of its submarine fleet of 65-70 is at sea at any given time, according to analysts.

Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi said last week the U.S. had perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran’s shores and that the warship was struck in international waters without warning.

Later, Sri Lanka said it had provided sanctuary for Iris Bushehr on March 5, a day after it requested for docking following an engine malfunction.

Eventually, India also confirmed that Iris Lavan was docked in its southern city Kochi.

The BBC has written to the Iranian embassy in India and India’s external affairs ministry seeking clarification on the movements of the three Iranian naval vessels after Delhi granted them permission to dock.

U.S. Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth has touted the attack on Iris Dena as an example of America’s military prowess, claiming it was the first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War Two.

While it is the first time since 1945 that an American submarine has sunk an enemy ship this way, the UK and Pakistan have both sunk vessels using torpedoes since then.

The Iris Dena was one of about 20 Iranian navy vessels destroyed since Israel and the U.S. launched co-ordinated strikes on Iran.