Kochi: Around 100 crew members of Iranian naval ship IRIS Lavan, berthed at Kochi port, have left India through Kochi airport, people in the know said here. However, there was no formal confirmation from the Southern Naval Command. According to sources, the Iranian crew members left Kochi airport on a plane that had come from Colombo. The plane took off from Kochi airport late on Friday night. The sources did not disclose the destination of the plane. The warship and its remaining crew are still at Kochi.The ship was in the area for the International Fleet Review. About 183 crew members were housed in naval facilities here. Just days before the sinking of IRIS Dena by a US submarine south of Sri Lanka on March 4, Iran had approached India to grant safe port to the ship.Iran’s request for IRIS Lavan was received on 28 February, the day the US and Israel launched their ‘Epic Fury’ offensive operation, saying that the docking in Kochi was necessary as the ship had developed “technical” problems.Approved on 1 March. IRIS Lavan reached Kochi on 4 March.New Delhi’s decision probably helped IRIS Lavan avoid the misfortune that befell IRIS Dena, which was torpedoed by a US submarine and sunk in international waters. At least 87 Iranian sailors were killed in the attack.