New Delhi, 21 March (H.S.):

India on Saturday completely dismissed a viral social media claim alleging that the United States had been granted permission to launch attacks on Iran from Indian territory. The Ministry of External Affairs labeled it misleading and baseless, urging citizens to stay vigilant.

The ministry's official fact-checking unit clarified that India has not permitted any country to use its land for military operations against a third nation. Such reports are entirely fabricated and bear no connection to reality.

The Foreign Ministry appealed to the public not to trust unverified information circulating on social media and to rely solely on official sources for facts.

This misleading claim originated from a post on the social media platform X, which stated that the US had sought permission to use military resources from western India for bombing Iran. The assertion was falsely linked to the India-US LEMOA (Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement).

Experts note that LEMOA is a logistics cooperation pact signed by India and the US in 2016. Its purpose is to enhance mutual support between the armed forces of both nations. Under the agreement, the two sides can utilize each other's military facilities for refueling, repairs, logistics supplies, joint exercises, and humanitarian assistance.

LEMOA does not authorize any form of military action or attacks on third countries. It is purely a facilitative arrangement, used only with mutual consent and based on specific needs.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar