A chemical tanker struck Saturday off the coast of India was targeted “by a one-way attack drone fired from Iran,” the US Department of Defense said in a statement. The attack took place around 10 am local time and caused no casualties aboard the Japanese-owned vessel, it said, adding that a fire was extinguished.
The US military “remains in communication with the vessel as it continues toward a destination in India,” it added. In the statement, the Pentagon said the Chem Pluto ship flew under a Liberian flag and was operated by a Dutch entity. The drone strike occurred 370 kilometers off the coast of India, it said.
‘Houthis acts on its own’
Iran’s deputy foreign minister meanwhile dismissed US accusations that Tehran was involved in attacks by Yemeni rebels on commercial ships, saying the group was acting on its own. “The resistance (Huthis) has its own tools… and acts in accordance with its own decisions and capabilities,” said Ali Bagheri, Iran’s deputy foreign minister. “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 told Mehr news agency.
The Indian Navy earlier said it had responded to a request for assistance. The vessel was reportedly bringing crude oil from a port in Saudi Arabia to Mangalore port. As per government sources, the incident happened close to the Indian coast, however, it was away from the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). At least 21 members of the crew are Indian nationals and the Indian Navy is expected to investigate the incident as it is the resident power, they said.
Surge in attacks
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the strike which came amid a flurry of drone and missile attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels on a vital shipping lane in the Red Sea. The Huthis say they are conducting the attacks in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. A recent surge in attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea has disrupted a major global trade route.
The Houthis targeted Israeli-linked vessels over the Israel-Hamas war initially, but then escalated their attacks, hitting ships without clear ties. The attacks on commercial ships have led to the rerouting of a majority of global trade away from the crucial maritime artery for consumer goods and energy supplies.
(With agency inputs)
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