Trump accuses Iran of drone attacks on Indian ships, Tehran rejects charge as 'baseless'

Highlights:

• Trump accused Iran of attacking Indian ships with drones near the Strait of Hormuz.
• Iran rejected the allegation and called it “simply baseless.”
• Three vessels with Indian crew were attacked off the Oman coast this week.
• One attack led to the deaths of three Indian seafarers on Wednesday.
• India protested to the US over attacks on commercial vessels carrying Indian nationals.

President Donald Trump has accused Iran of carrying out drone attacks on Indian ships leaving the Strait of Hormuz, calling the alleged action “totally unacceptable.” Iran strongly denied the accusation and described it as “baseless.”

The dispute follows a series of attacks on vessels carrying Indian crew members near the Oman coast this week. According to reports, three vessels with Indian crew came under attack. One of the incidents resulted in the deaths of three Indian seafarers on Wednesday.

In a post on Truth Social on Friday (12), Trump directly blamed Iran for one of the attacks.

“Their (Iran's) totally rebuffed Drone attack last night against Indian Ships leaving the Hormuz Strait is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE,” Trump claimed.

In the same post, Trump also accused Iran of leaking details of a peace proposal to the media. He said the reported terms had nothing to do with the issues being discussed during negotiations.

Iran quickly rejected the allegations made by the US president.

“The US president's accusation against Iran regarding an Indian vessel in the Strait of Hormuz is simply baseless,” the Iranian Embassy in India said in a social media post late Friday night.

The embassy also accused the United States of responsibility for attacks on Indian vessels in recent days.

“It is an attempt to divert public attention from the brutal fact that the US has attacked 3 Indian vessels in less than a week and killed 3 innocent Indian sailors. That's pathetic!” it said.

The exchange of accusations came amid growing concern over the safety of commercial shipping routes in the region. The attacks on vessels carrying Indian nationals have drawn a strong response from New Delhi.

Trump’s remarks were made after India summoned the Charge d’Affaires of the US Embassy in New Delhi to formally protest against attacks on commercial ships carrying Indian nationals near the Oman coast.

India has expressed serious concern over the incidents and described the attacks on commercial vessels as “deeply worrisome.”

Indian authorities have also said they strongly raised the issue with the United States following the attacks.

The attacks on the three vessels and the death of three Indian sailors have become a point of tension, with both Washington and Tehran trading accusations over responsibility.

While Trump has publicly accused Iran of conducting drone attacks on Indian ships near the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran has firmly denied the allegation and instead blamed the United States for attacks on Indian vessels in the region.

The conflicting claims have added to concerns over maritime security near one of the world’s most important shipping routes, as questions remain over the incidents involving the Indian-crewed vessels off the Oman coast.