The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has rejected reports that India has been in talks with the United Arab Emirates for a special evacuation plan from the UAE in case of any disruption due to escalating tensions in West Asia via the port of Fujairah, UAE.
The MEA’s fact checking wing clarified in its social media statement that the evacuation plan was not being discussed at the time and that the reports were “false and baseless.” The ministry advised citizens against misinformation spreading online in the context of the tight security situation in the region.
“Fake News Alert! The ministry has shared screenshots of the viral media report that there was no basis in fact for such a story, no evacuation was being planned, and they said that the public must be alerted against such claims.
The report had said India and the UAE were working on a first of its kind emergency evacuation package for Indians by sea via the port of Fujairah, in case air travel in the Gulf region was to get disrupted. It also connected the so called deal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Europe, where he is likely to stop by in the UAE.
The rumours came at a time when relations between the United States and Iran and Israel are strained, affecting security in the Gulf region. Missile and drone strikes related to the wider conflict have led to concerns about airspace safety and maritime trade routes, particularly in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts aimed at easing the crisis are also being beset with setbacks. The Iranians are said to have raised their reply to the latest U.S. proposal via Pakistani mediators but the U.S. President, Donald Trump, has publicly rejected the reply, calling it “totally unacceptable.”
This ongoing standoff has already caused global shipping to be affected and added to the increase of energy prices and governments are on alert around the world in the region of the possibility of further escalations.