Middle East Crisis: Is US using Indian ports to attack Iran? MEA fact-checking statement

India’s Ministry of External Affairs has refuted reports that the United States is using Indian ports to attack Iran as tensions in the Middle East continue to escalate.Previously, former U.S. Army Colonel Douglas McGregor claimed in an interview with a U.S. television station that the United States used Indian naval bases in the war against Iran.

“All of our bases were destroyed. Our port facilities were destroyed. We actually had to retreat to India and Indian ports, which was less than ideal; that’s what the Navy said,” McGregor said.The MEA fact-checking account on X rejected the claims, calling them “false.”“The claim by US channel OAN that the US Navy is using Indian ports is false. We warn you against making such baseless and fabricated comments,” the MEA said.India expressed “deep concern” over the escalation of tensions in the Middle East and called on all parties concerned to exercise restraint, avoid further escalation and ensure the safety of civilians.U.S. and Israeli forces launched coordinated air strikes on Iran, killing the country’s 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and chaos erupted in the Middle East.Iran retaliated by firing missiles at Israel and targeting U.S. military bases in the Gulf country.Earlier on Wednesday, a torpedo fired by a US submarine sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean, killing 87 people. The ship recently paid a goodwill visit to India. The attack was the first time a U.S. submarine had attacked a surface warship since World War II.On Thursday, the war entered its sixth day, with no sign of a let-up.According to reports, the conflict has killed more than 1,000 people in Iran and about 12 people in Israel. At least six U.S. troops were also killed in the fighting.U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have defended the offensive, arguing that Iran poses an imminent threat.“If we don’t do it first, they’re going to do it to Israel, and if they can, they’re going to give us a chance,” Trump said.