The US accusations are supposed to ‘distract’ from Washington’s complicity in Israel’s ‘crimes in Gaza’, Iran’s FM says.
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has dismissed accusations of the United States that Tehran struck a chemical tanker within the Indian Ocean, as stress rises globally over threats to maritime delivery.
A spokesperson for the ministry dismissed the accusation out of hand at a information convention on Monday. He asserted that the US declare that an Iran-launched drone had hit a Japanese-owned tanker because it sailed close to India was false.
Global commerce has been hit exhausting as Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have launched a flurry of assaults on ships within the Red Sea. The Houthis say the marketing campaign, concentrating on what they are saying are Israeli-linked vessels, is meant to power Israel to halt its bombardment of Gaza.
“We declare these claims as completely rejected and worthless,” stated Nasser Kanaani when requested concerning the US accusation.
“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 added.
Broader safety risk
The assault on Saturday hit the MV Chem Pluto, a Japanese-owned tanker travelling 200 nautical miles (370km) off the coast of India, in line with the US Pentagon.
The tanker was “Israel-affiliated” and had been on its method from Saudi Arabia to India, reported maritime safety agency Ambrey.
Amid the current spate of maritime assaults, it’s the first that the US has sought to straight pin on Iran. It can be the primary on a vessel outdoors the Red Sea.
The US, which is main a worldwide process power to counter the Houthi risk, has repeatedly accused Iran of being “deeply involved”.
However, Iran insists that it’s not coordinating with the Houthis and performs no function within the assaults.
“The resistance [Houthis] has its own tools … and acts in accordance with its own decisions and capabilities,” Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri advised the Mehr information company on Saturday.
“The fact that certain powers, such as the Americans and the Israelis, suffer strikes from the resistance movement … should in no way call into question the reality of the strength of the resistance in the region,” he added.
Amid the stress, Iran’s navy has taken supply of long-range cruise missiles in addition to reconnaissance helicopters, in line with the nation’s state media.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/25/iran-dismisses-us-claim-it-hit-tanker-near-india?traffic_source=rss
