Iran has rejected United States President Donald Trump's allegation regarding an attack on a commercial vehicle carrying Indians on board, calling it "baseless".
Iran's Mission in India also accused the US of trying to divert attention from recent attacks on commercial ships carrying Indian seafarers. Three seafarers were killed after attack on vessel MT Settebello off Oman coast. The Iranian Embassy said the US attacked three Indian vessels in less than a week, resulting in the death of three Indian sailors, and described the actions as "brutal" and "pathetic". In a post on X, the official account of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in India said, "The U.S. president's accusation against Iran regarding an Indian vessel in the Strait of Hormuz is simply baseless. It is an attempt to divert public attention from the brutal fact that the U.S. has attacked 3 Indian vessels in less than a week and killed 3 innocent Indian sailors. That's pathetic!"
Trump blamed Iran for attack on ships
The response comes after US President Donald Trump accused Iran of launching drone attack on Indian ships leaving the Strait of Hormuz. He called the strikes "totally unacceptable".
"Also, their (Iran’s) totally rebuffed Drone attack last night against Indian Ships leaving the Hormuz Strait is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. They better get their act together, and FAST!" Trump wrote on his social media platform, hours after New Delhi summoned a senior US diplomat to South Block for a second time on Friday.
Notably, Trump's remarks came despite the US Central Command having confirmed that the strikes were carried out by American naval forces.
India summons US charge d'affaires for the second time
India on Friday summoned US charge d'affaires Jason Meeks and told him that American military's "lethal and deadly" strikes on commercial vessels with Indian crew members off the coast of Oman are "unacceptable" and they undermine the safety, security and stability of international maritime commerce.
Read More - India Summons US Diplomat For 2nd Time After Repeated Attacks On Ships Carrying Indians Near Hormuz
Jaishankar speaks to Rubio, registers protest over attack on ships
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar said he raised the issue directly with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, stressing that attacks on commercial vessels cannot be justified.
"Spoke to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio this evening. I reiterated India’s strong protest at the attacks by the US Navy in the Gulf that killed three Indian mariners. Such lethal actions against commercial shipping are not justified," Jaishankar posted on X (formerly Twitter).
