A drone that was launched from Iran struck a chemical tanker on Saturday in the Indian ocean, the U.S. Department of Defense said.

New Delhi: A chemical tanker, which was struck off the coast of India on Saturday, was targeted “by a one-way attack drone fired from Iran,” the United States Department of Defense said on Sunday. The ‘attack’ caused a fire on the Japanese-owned vessel, which was extinguished, and no casualties were reported. The American military “remains in communication with the vessel as it continues toward a destination in India,” the Pentagon said in a statement. “The motor vessel CHEM PLUTO, a Liberia-flagged, Japanese-owned, and Netherlands-operated chemical tanker was struck at approximately 10 a.m. local time (6 a.m. GMT) today in the Indian Ocean, 200 nautical miles from the coast of India, by a one-way attack drone fired from Iran,” Reuters quoted a Pentagon spokesperson as saying.

Drone ‘Attack’ On CHEM PLUTO

According to the statement, the Chem Pluto ship was operated by a Dutch entity and flew under a Liberian flag. The drone strike on the vessel happened 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) off the coast of India.
Notably, there was immediate claim of the ‘attack’ that occurred amid drone and missile attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels on a vital shipping lane in the Red Sea. The Huthis stated that they are holding the missile attacks in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Indian Navy Responded

The Indian navy one the other hand stated that it had responded to a request for assistance.
“An aircraft was dispatched and it reached overhead the vessel and established safety of the involved ship and its crew. An Indian navy warship has also been dispatched so as to provide assistance as required,” AFP quoted a navy official as saying.

Escalating Regional Tensions And New Risk To Shipping Lanes

The drone attack highlights escalating regional tensions and new risk to shipping lanes amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

The Iranian government has criticized Israel’s military operation in Gaza, in which thousands of Palestinians were killed.
As per the Pentagon statement, it was the “seventh Iranian attack on commercial shipping since 2021.”