India on Wednesday refuted claims made on an American news channel that the United States was using Indian ports to attack Iran, as the conflict in West Asia entered its sixth day.

“Claims being made on OAN [One America News Network], a US based channel that Indian ports are being used by the US Navy are fake and false,” the Ministry of External Affairs said on social media. “We caution you against such baseless and fabricated comments.”

In an interview on One America News Network, Douglas Macgregor, a retired US Army colonel and former adviser to the country’s secretary of defence, claimed that the American Navy was using Indian ports in the ongoing conflict with Iran.

Speaking to political commentator Matt Gaetz, Macgregor claimed that “all” US bases and harbour installations in West Asia had been “destroyed”.

“We are actually having to fall back on India and Indian ports,” he said. “Which is less than ideal…that is what the Navy says.”

Macgregor added: “I think Iran, much to our disappointment, is faring very, very well. The question is how long can we keep this up…”

His comments came amid a rapidly expanding conflict in West Asia that began on Saturday when Israel and the US launched a joint military operation targeting the Iranian government.

Tehran retaliated by striking Israel and US military bases in the region, and targeting major cities in other Gulf countries and some ships.

On Tuesday, a US submarine sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Sri Lanka. At least 87 persons have been killed in the incident and 61 others are missing, AFP quoted unidentified Sri Lankan defence and police officers as saying.

The US Department of War confirmed the attack on Wednesday. US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said that the ship was sunk by a torpedo. Hours later, the department released footage showing the torpedo hitting the Iranian frigate, resulting in an explosion.

The Iranian frigate had a capacity of 180 crew members.

The warship had attended an International Fleet Review, which was held from February 15 to February 25 in Vishakhapatnam, where it had been docked alongside ships from several other countries.

After the warship was struck, Congress leader Pawan Khera had noted that the explosion took place “at the edge of Indian waters near Sri Lanka”.

“Does India have no influence left in its own neighbourhood?” he had asked. “Or has that space also been quietly ceded to Washington and Tel Aviv?”

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