Iran rejects US claims of drone attack involvement, blames US for targeting Indian ships

The Iranian Embassy in India on Saturday rejected US President Donald Trump's allegation that Iran was behind the drone attack on Indian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, calling the accusation "baseless. " The embassy further slammed Washington, accusing it of attempting to divert attention from the recent strikes on ships carrying Indian crew members. In a post on X, the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in India said, “The US president's accusation against Iran regarding an Indian vessel in the Strait of Hormuz is simply baseless. It is an attempt to divert public attention from the brutal fact that the US has attacked 3 Indian vessels in less than a week and killed 3 innocent Indian sailors. That's pathetic!” The embassy's remarks came while reposting a message by Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei, who criticised the US over the attacks on commercial vessels involving Indian nationals. "The brutal US attacks on Indian commercial vessels which have killed at least three Indian nationals, stand as clear evidence of America’s ongoing policy of armed robbery and State piracy. We extend our sympathies to the families and friends of the slain Indian sailors and offer our sincere condolences to the Indian people and government.” He further added, “The international community must hold the United States accountable for its lawless conduct, which continues to threaten global peace and security while endangering the freedom of navigation."

Trump blames Iran for alleged drone attack

The response came after Trump accused Iran of being behind an alleged drone attack on Indian ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The US President said, "Their (Iran’s) totally rebuffed Drone attack last night against Indian Ships leaving the Hormuz Strait is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. They better get their act together, and FAST!" Trump wrote on his social media platform. Trump's remarks came hours after India summoned a senior US diplomat to South Block for the second time on Friday to convey its displeasure over American attacks on merchant vessels that resulted in the deaths of Indian sailors. However, he did not address the deaths of the Indian crew members in his statement.

US acknowledges strikes on Indian-crewed vessel

In contrast, the Trump administration had already acknowledged that American forces had fired two Hellfire missiles at a third commercial vessel carrying Indian crew members off the coast of Oman on Thursday. According to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), "American forces disabled the Guinea-Bissau-flagged tanker MT Jalveer in the Gulf of Oman at 11:20 pm ET on June 10, making it the third commercial vessel targeted by US forces this week. " CENTCOM said the action was taken against the vessel "as it attempted to transport oil from Iran through the Gulf of Oman". "A US aircraft fired two Hellfire missiles into the ship’s engine room after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from US forces," it added. The strike on MT Jalveer came days after US forces disabled the Palau-flagged tankers M/T Marivex and M/T Settebello.

India protests attacks on merchant ships

India said that three merchant ships carrying Indian crew members had come under attack by the US Navy off the Oman coast over the past four days, resulting in the deaths of three Indians. It also lodged a strong protest with the United States and asserted that such attacks should stop. The number of Indian seafarers killed since the Middle East conflict broke out on February 28 has risen to seven. This also marked the first time India officially acknowledged that the US Navy had targeted the vessels. While the Palau-flagged oil tankers Marivex and Settebello came under attack on June 8 and June 10 respectively, the Guinea-Bissau-flagged bitumen tanker MT Jalveer, carrying 20 Indians, was attacked on Thursday. Later, Mukesh Mangal, additional secretary in the shipping ministry, said all 25 remaining crew members of the Settebello had been safely evacuated. Meanwhile, the Middle East conflict that began on February 28 with the US and Israel launching joint strikes on Iran, has now crossed over 100 days.