US President Donald Trump claimed on Friday that Iran had carried out a “drone attack” on Indian ships leaving the Strait of Hormuz, sparking panic in New Delhi and Tehran.
Trump’s claim came in a post on his “Social Truth” platform against the backdrop of last-mile negotiations between the United States and Iran regarding a peace agreement that is expected to build on the ceasefire reached in April.
After criticizing Iran for leaking the terms of the deal to “fake news,” Trump said in his post: “Also, their drone attack last night against Indian ships leaving the Strait of Hormuz was dismissed, which is completely unacceptable.”
His claim came on a day when the Ministry of External Affairs summoned the top US diplomat in New Delhi, Charge d’Affairs Jason Meeks, for the second time this week to protest attacks by US forces on three commercial ships with Indian crew on board in the Gulf of Oman that left three Indian sailors dead. Two of these ships were flying the Palau flag and one was flying the Guinea-Bissau flag.
People familiar with the matter on both the Indian and Iranian sides said there were no reports of a drone attack on Indian-flagged ships in or near the Strait of Hormuz either Thursday evening or afterwards. At least 13 Indian-flagged ships are currently waiting to cross the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively closed.
There was no official comment from the Indian or Iranian side regarding this development.
Trump’s social media post accused the Iranian side of leaking the terms of the proposed peace agreement to “fake news” and said that this information “has nothing to do with the terms that were agreed upon in writing.”
Trump said: “What they said, including their weak and pathetic statement about reaching an agreement, has nothing to do with the truth. Dealing with people is very dishonest. With them, there is no such thing as dealing in good faith.” “They better work together and fast!”
Following Trump’s critical social media post, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araqchi said on social media that the memorandum of understanding with the United States “is closer than ever,” and urged the media not to speculate on its contents.
Read also: ‘Be prepared to respond’: India on high alert after 3 sailors killed in Gulf
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also said on social media that a “final agreed text of the peace agreement” had been reached between Iran and the United States. “Pakistan is now working closely with both sides to finalize the next steps,” Sharif said.
