The US accusations are meant to \u2018distract\u2019 from Washington\u2019s complicity in Israel\u2019s \u2018crimes in Gaza\u2019, Iran\u2019s FM says
\nTehran
\nIran\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has dismissed accusations of the United States that Tehran struck a chemical tanker in the Indian Ocean, as tension rises globally over threats to maritime shipping.
\nA spokesperson for the ministry dismissed the accusation out of hand at a news conference on Monday. He asserted that the US claim that an Iran-launched drone had hit a Japanese-owned tanker as it sailed near India was false.
\nGlobal trade has been hit hard as Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have launched a flurry of attacks on ships in the Red Sea. The Houthis say the campaign, targeting what they say are Israeli-linked vessels, is intended to force Israel to halt its bombardment of Gaza.
\n\u201cWe declare these claims as completely rejected and worthless,\u201d said Nasser Kanaani when asked about the US accusation.
\n\u201cSuch 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,\u201d he added.
\nBroader security threat
\nThe attack on Saturday hit the MV Chem Pluto, a Japanese-owned tanker travelling 200 nautical miles (370km) off the coast of India, according to the US Pentagon.
\nThe tanker was \u201cIsrael-affiliated\u201d and had been on its way from Saudi Arabia to India, reported maritime security firm Ambrey.
\nAmid the recent spate of maritime assaults, it is the first that the US has sought to directly pin on Iran. It is also the first on a vessel outside the Red Sea.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The US accusations are meant to \u2018distract\u2019 from Washington\u2019s complicity in Israel\u2019s \u2018crimes in Gaza\u2019, Iran\u2019s FM says Tehran Iran\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has dismissed accusations of the United States that Tehran struck a chemical tanker in the Indian Ocean, as tension rises globally over threats to maritime shipping. A spokesperson for the ministry […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":376798,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-376779","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n