New Delhi: Iran on Monday denied a US claim that a drone launched from Iran had struck an Israel-affiliated merchant vessel in the Indian Ocean.
According to the Pentagon, the Liberia-flagged, Japanese-owned, and Netherlands-operated Chem Pluto ship was hit 200 nautical miles off the coast of India during the weekend, reported Reuters.
"These repetitive accusations are rejected as baseless," Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said at a briefing, adding that the US instead should face accusations for its role in Israel's war in Gaza.
"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.
The Iranian navy has taken delivery of cruise missiles with a range of 1,000 km (621 miles) as well as reconnaissance helicopters, state media reported on Sunday, amid growing attacks on shipping lanes in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and Israel's subsequent bombardment of Gaza, reported Reuters.
The Gaza Strip has endured over 11 weeks of Israeli air and ground attacks that have killed more than 20,400 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run coastal territory.
Israel has vowed to crush Hamas after the Palestinian militant group carried out a cross-border attack on October 7 that killed around 1,140 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
Iran has repeatedly dismissed US and Israeli accusations that Tehran was involved in attacks by the Huthis, saying the group was acting on its own.