India has rejected a report that claimed that the US was using its ports to strike Iran. The Ministry of External Affairs's reaction came after former US Army Colonel Douglas Macgregor, during an interview with a US-based channel, One America News Network, suggested that the US was using Indian naval bases in its war against Iran.
"All of our bases have been destroyed. Our harbour installations are destroyed. We are actually having to fall back on India and Indian ports, which is less than ideal; that is what the navy says," he can be heard saying in the interview.
The MEA's FactCheck account said the claims being made on OAN are "fake and false".
"We caution you against such baseless and fabricated comments," it posted on X on Wednesday.
India has expressed "deep concern" at the conflict in the Middle East, urging all sides to "exercise restraint, avoid escalation, and prioritise the safety of civilians".
US-Israel-Iran Tensions
The Middle East was plunged into chaos after the US and Israel carried out joint strikes on Iran on Saturday, killing 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In response, Iran launched missiles at Israel and at American military bases in Gulf countries.
A torpedo from an American submarine sank an Iranian warship on Tuesday night in the Indian Ocean, leaving 87 people dead. The IRIS Dena had been on a friendly visit to India when it was hit. It was the first time since World War II that an American submarine had attacked a surface vessel.
The war has entered its sixth day on Thursday, with no signs of easing tensions.
According to reports, more than 1,000 people have so far been killed in Iran and about a dozen in Israel. At least six US troops have also been killed in the war.
US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have claimed that they launched strikes on Iran as it posed an imminent threat.
"If we didn't do it first, they would have done it to Israel and give us a shot, if that was possible," Trump has said.