Iran’s foreign ministry has rejected United States allegations that Tehran attacked a chemical tanker in the Indian Ocean as tensions rise globally over threats to maritime shipping.
At a press conference on Monday, a spokeswoman for the ministry immediately denied the allegations. He claimed that the US claim that a drone launched from Iran hit a Japanese tanker while it was sailing near India was false.
Global trade has been hit hard as Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have launched a wave of attacks on ships in the Red Sea. The Houthis say the campaign, targeting what they say are vessels linked to Israel, is meant to get Israel to stop bombing Gaza.
“We declare these claims completely rejected and worthless,” Nasser Kanaani said when asked about the US accusations.
“Such claims are aimed at projecting, distracting the public and covering up the US government’s full support for the crimes of the Zionist regime [Israel] in Gaza,” he added.
A broader security threat
Saturday’s attack hit the MV Chem Pluto, a Japanese tanker traveling 200 nautical miles (370 km) off the coast of India, according to the US Pentagon.
The tanker was “affiliated to Israel” and was on its way from Saudi Arabia to India, the maritime security company Ambrey said.
Amid a recent spate of naval strikes, it is the first the US has sought to pin directly on Iran. It is also the first on a ship outside the Red Sea.
The US, which leads a global task force to counter the Houthi threat, has repeatedly accused Iran of being “deeply involved”.
However, Iran insists it is not coordinating with the Houthis and has no role in the attacks.
“The [Houthi] resistance has its own tools… and acts according to its own decisions and capabilities,” Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri told Mehr Agency on Saturday.
“The fact that certain powers such as the Americans and Israelis are suffering the blows of the resistance movement … should in no way question the reality of the strength of the resistance in the region,” he added.
Amid the tensions, Iran’s navy has taken delivery of long-range cruise missiles as well as reconnaissance helicopters, according to the country’s state media.
