The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) dismissed claims that the United States was using Indian ports to launch strikes against Iran, calling the allegation “fake and false.”
The response came after former US Army Colonel Douglas Macgregor made the claim during an interview with the US-based channel One America News Network (OAN).
In the interview, Macgregor suggested that the US was relying on Indian naval bases after suffering damage to its own facilities. “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 said.
Rejecting the claim, the MEA’s FactCheck unit said the remarks circulating on social media were baseless and fabricated.
“The claims being made are fake and false. We caution against such baseless and fabricated comments,” the MEA FactCheck account said in a post on X.
India has meanwhile expressed concern over the escalating conflict in West Asia and urged all sides to avoid further escalation. New Delhi has called on the parties involved to exercise restraint and prioritise the safety of civilians amid rising tensions in the region.