Iran slams US claims of hand in drone attack off India as 'worthless'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
25 Dec 2023 13:19
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Iran rejected the US "worthless" accusations after it claimed the drone attack that targeted a Japanese tanker on the Indian coast was conducted by Iran.

In this image published on August 11, 2022, by the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani speaks in Tehran, Iran. (AP)

On Monday, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the US' "worthless accusations' after it claimed that the drone attack that targeted a tanker off the Indian coast was conducted by Iran.

A Japanese-owned commercial tanker was reportedly attacked by a drone in the Indian Ocean on Saturday, causing a fire but leaving no one injured, according to the US Department of Defense.

The Pentagon, following the incident, explicitly accused Iran of being behind the attack.

The Liberian-flagged, Netherlands-operated chemical tanker was struck about 370 kilometers off India "by a one-way attack drone fired from Iran," the Pentagon said in a statement, adding the fire on board has been extinguished.

In response, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Nasser Kanaani, said, "We declare these claims as completely rejected and worthless," adding that "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 in Gaza."

Kanaani also addressed the UK following "repetitive" remarks by Foreign Secretary David Cameron, who regards Iran as a "malign influence in the region and the world" while advocating for measures to be taken against it.

In ceaseless solidarity with Palestine, Iran reiterated its stance by emphasizing the need for solidified and collective action by the international community to protect Palestinians and stop the Israeli killing machine from attacking them any further.

He then highlighted that Friday's UNSC resolution motioned by Russia to establish a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, unsurprisingly vetoed by the US, shows just how loyal it remains to "Israel" and the extent of its complicity in the genocide in Gaza.

However, in the same context, he noted the insufficiency of the UN resolution, saying it is not what Palestinians need and not what the global populace is demanding, alluding that a total liberation of Palestine from the occupation is the only solution to end its suffering.

Resistance factions have minds of their own

Earlier, the White House revealed what they claim is proof that Iran provided drones, missiles, and tactical information to Ansar Allah.

According to Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani, "The resistance has its own tools... and acts in accordance with its own decisions and capabilities."

He told Mehr news that the fact that Israeli and US powers are suffering due to the strikes should "in no way call into question the reality of the strength of the resistance in the region."

Previously, and repeatedly, Nasser Kanaani asserted that Iran does not command the Resistance factions in the region nor does it have any forces or proxies under its direction, as opposed to the United States, which governs its allies.