The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has denied allegations that the US Navy is utilising Indian ports to carry out attacks on Iran, calling them baseless.
The MEA’s official fact-check account issued a statement cautioning the public against such claims and labelled them as “fabricated”.
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“Claims being made on OAN, a US based channel that Indian ports are being used by the US Navy are fake and false. We caution you against such baseless and fabricated comments,” MEAFactCheck posted on X.
These remarks followed statements made by former US Army colonel Douglas Macgregor during an interview on One America News Network, a US-based channel.
Appearing on the channel, Macgregor said: “All of our bases have been destroyed. Our harbour installations are destroyed. We are actually having to fall back on India and Indian ports, which is less than ideal; that is what the navy says.”
The comments appeared in the context of continued assault on Iran by the US and Israel as part of Operation Epic Fury.
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By GlobalDataNew satellite images reviewed by BBC Verify indicated that US and Israeli strikes since 28 February 2026 have destroyed or damaged at least 11 Iranian naval vessels, as well as targeting missile bases and nuclear sites.
India operates two ports in the region. Chabahar Port in Iran is managed by India Ports Global Limited (IPGL), an Indian government entity, while Haifa Port in Israel is operated by the Indian business conglomerate Adani Group.
Recent media reports indicated that Chabahar Port in southeastern Iran was targeted, although details concerning the extent of damage or casualties remain unconfirmed.
Authorities have not released an official statement about the incident.
According to these reports, Israeli airstrikes focused on military installations surrounding Chabahar, while the India-funded Shahid Beheshti freight terminal was not hit.
Chabahar, a port city along the Gulf of Oman, reportedly hosts both commercial facilities and significant military infrastructure, including air and naval bases nearby.
Media sources noted that missile sites in the area were targeted during recent airstrikes.
On 1 March 2026, Haifa Port Company stated that all employees are safe and that all port assets and infrastructure remain fully secure and operational.
The US also confirmed that it sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka’s southern coast on the night of 3 March.
