In a retaliatory move, Iran has rejected claims made by the US that it launched a drone attack off the coast of Gujarat, striking a tanker.
Earlier this week, the Pentagon claimed that the suspected drone attack that hit Liberian-flagged, Japanese-owned and Netherlands-operated Chem Pluto tanker 200 nautical miles off the Indian coast was fired from Iran.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said in a statement, “These repetitive accusation are rejected as baseless.” He added that the US should instead be critcised for its role in the Israel-Hamas war.
“Such claims are aimed at projecting, distracting public attention, and covering up for the full support of the American government for the crimes of the Zionist regime (Israel) in Gaza,” he further said.
Notably, over 20 Indians were on board Chem Pluto, a chemical tanker ship.
In an effort to assist the affected vessel, the Indian Navy dispatched a P81 maritime patrol aircraft as well as a warship. The ship is believed to have carried crude from Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile on Saturday, an Indian-flagged crude oil tanker was similarly attacked in the Red Sea by a drone fired by Iran-backed Houthi terrorists. However, no injuries were reported in the Gabon-owned MV Saibaba.
The recent attacks are part of a series of strikes launched by the Houthi terror group in response to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
Iran has withstood criticism from not just US but also from UK where the country’s Foreign Secretary David Cameron branded Iran a “malign influence in the region and the world.”
Kanaani, on the other hand, has slammed Cameron for being “repetitive” and “threadbare.”
In order to avoid persistent Houthi and Yemeni rebels’ attacks in the Red Sea, major shipping firms have decided to reroute their vessels to pass through the southern tip of Africa which is a much longer voyage.