Pentagon Says The Attack On Chemical Tanker Off The Coast Of India Was "Fired From Iran" (representational image)
Pentagon said the Japanese-owned chemical tanker that struck off the coast of India was targeted by a drone “fired from Iran”. The US Department of Defence said the attack is a possible sign of expanding the risks of targeting the commercial shipping beyond the Red Sea.
The drone attack occurred at 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) away from the coast of India. No US Navy vessels were present in the vicinity during the attack, said Pentagon. The attack took place on Saturday. No casualties were reported. The US military said it “remains in communication with the vessel as it continues toward a destination in India”.
This is the first time Pentagon openly about directly targeting ships since the genocidal war started in October 7th. The statement for the Defence Department said that the vessel was a MV Chem Pluto ship, though owned by Japan, flew under a Liberian flag and was operated by a Dutch entity.
A maritime security firm named Ambrey said that the vessel, which carried chemical products “was Israel affiliated”. It was going from Saudi Arabia to India. As per the report from Wall Street Journal, the Dutch company, that was operating the ship “is connected to Israeli shipping tycoon Idan Ofer”.
An Indian Navy official told AFP, “An Indian aircraft was dispatched and it reached overhead the vessel and established safety of the involved ship and its crew…An Indian warship has also been dispatched so as to provide assistance as required”. There was no immediate claim of responsibility of the strike.
An official from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned about the forced closure of other waterways unless Israel ends the war on Gaza. “With the continuation of these crimes, America and its allies should expect the emergence of new resistance forces and the closure of other waterways”, said Muhammed Reza Naqbi, as quoted by Iran’s Tasnim news agency.
