Pentagon: There was a drone attack from Iran on a chemical-laden tanker in the Indian Ocean.
The US Department of Defense (Pentagon) stated that a chemical-laden tanker cruising in the Indian Ocean was hit by an attack drone launched from Iran.
In a written statement from the Pentagon to AA, “The Liberian-flagged chemical tanker ship Chem Pluto, owned by the Japanese and operated by the Netherlands, was hit today at around 10:00 local time (18:00 GMT), in the Indian Ocean, 370 kilometers away from the coast.” It was said.
It was stated in the statement that the attack was made with a unidirectional attack drone launched from Iran, and that there was no loss of life in the incident and that the fire in the tanker was extinguished.
It was noted in the statement that there was no US Navy ship nearby at the time of the attack, and that the US Naval Forces Central Command (CENTCOM) continued to be in communication with the ship continuing towards its destination in India. “This is Iran’s seventh attack on commercial shipping since 2021. attack.” The statement was included.
While Iran did not make a statement about the attack, maritime security company Ambrey shared information with the BBC that the tanker in question went from Saudi Arabia to India and had ties to Israel.
In response to Israel’s ongoing attacks on the blockaded Gaza Strip since October 7, the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen had threatened that they could target Israeli ships in the Red Sea. After the Houthis took action, many shipping companies decided to stop their voyages in the Red Sea.
It is stated that the latest incident in the Indian Ocean is a first in the process of Israel’s attacks on Gaza since October 7.
The opinions expressed herein are the author’s and not necessarily those of News2Sea.
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