India, March 5 -- India's Ministry of External Affairs has rejected claims circulating online that the United States Navy is using Indian ports to support military operations against Iran, dismissing the allegation as "fake and false" amid escalating tensions across the Middle East.

The clarification came after remarks by retired US Army Colonel Douglas Macgregor during an interview on the US television network One America News Network, where he suggested that American naval forces were relying on Indian ports to sustain operations during the growing conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States.

India's foreign ministry swiftly pushed back against the claim. In a statement posted by its official fact-checking unit, the minist...