TEHRAN - Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has dismissed accusations of the United States that Tehran struck a chemical tanker in the Indian Ocean, as tension rises globally over threats to maritime shipping. A spokesperson for the ministry dismissed the accusation out of hand at a news conference on Monday. He asserted that the US claim that an Iran-launched drone had hit a Japanese-owned tanker as it sailed near India was false. The US, which is leading a global task force to counter the Houthi threat, has repeatedly accused Iran of being “deeply involved”. However, Iran insists that it is not coordinating with the Houthis and plays no role in the attacks. “The resistance [Houthis] has its own tools … and acts in accordance with its own decisions and capabilities,” Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri told the Mehr news agency on Saturday. “The fact that certain powers, such as the Americans and the Israelis, suffer strikes from the resistance movement … should in no way call into question the reality of the strength of the resistance in the region,” he added. Amid the tension, Iran’s navy has taken delivery of long-range cruise missiles as well as reconnaissance helicopters, according to the country’s state media.