India dismisses claims of US naval port access amid regional conflict escalation

India has formally rejected allegations that its ports were utilized by the US military in operations against Iran. Kanwal Sibal, former Indian Foreign Secretary and former Ambassador to Türkiye, stated: “If we had not invited the Iranian vessel to participate in our Milan exercise, it would not have been in that location. We were the hosts.”

The official statement from New Delhi follows the sinking of a defenseless Iranian naval vessel by a US submarine off the coast of Sri Lanka. This incident has effectively expanded the conflict in West Asia into the Indian Ocean.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday dismissed as “false and baseless” the viral claims that the US Navy had utilized Indian ports as part of its operations against Iran. The Ministry’s statement emphasized: “The claims made on OAN, a US-based channel, regarding the US Navy using Indian ports are false and baseless. We advise caution against such unfounded and fabricated commentary.”

What was the claim?

In a broadcast on the US news network One America News (OAN), Douglas Macgregor, a retired US Army colonel and former Department of Defense adviser, alleged that the US Navy had been utilizing Indian ports during the ongoing conflict with Iran.

In a conversation with Matt Gaetz, Macgregor asserted: “China and Russia are sitting on the sidelines watching everything; they are in close contact with the government and are providing satellite intelligence to Iran. This has assisted Iran in its attacks on Israel and US bases.”

Claiming that US bases in the Middle East had been “destroyed” and that “port facilities had been decimated,” Macgregor stated that, as a result, the US Navy was forced to “withdraw to India, to Indian ports, although it is far from ideal.”

Iranian frigate was present at India’s invitation

On Wednesday, a US submarine sank an Iranian frigate in waters near Sri Lanka via a torpedo strike.

The attack, which has widened the theater of conflict in West Asia, occurred just days after the Iranian vessel participated in a multinational exercise and international fleet review hosted by India in Visakhapatnam.

According to Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, the vessel was identified as the IRIS Dena. The torpedo strike resulted in at least 80 fatalities, with approximately 150 individuals reported missing.

Kanwal Sibal stated that “the US disregarded Indian sensitivities, despite the ship being present in these waters at the invitation of India.”

In a social media post, Sibal wrote: “If we had not invited the Iranian vessel to participate in our Milan exercise, it would not have been in that location. We were the hosts.” He added, “According to my information, under the protocol for this exercise, vessels are prohibited from carrying any ordnance. It was defenseless.” Sibal noted, “Iranian naval personnel had participated in a parade before our President. The US submarine attack was premeditated, as the US was aware of the Iranian ship’s presence at the exercise; the US Navy had also been invited but likely declined participation in anticipation of this operation.”

“The US disregarded Indian sensitivities, despite the ship being present in these waters at the invitation of India,” Sibal said. “We are not politically or militarily responsible for the US attack. Our responsibility is on a moral and humanitarian level.”

The former Foreign Secretary suggested that “it would be appropriate for the Indian Navy (following the receipt of political clearance) to issue a condolence message, given that the lives lost included those who were among our invitees and who had saluted our President.”