A drone launched from Iran collided with a chemical tanker in the Indian Ocean early Saturday, the US Department of Defense said.
“The motor ship CHEM PLUTO, a Liberian-flagged chemical tanker owned by Japan and operated by the Netherlands, 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,” a Pentagon spokesperson told Reuters.
The incident highlights rising regional tensions and new risks to sea routes following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.
The Iranian government, as well as its allied militant forces in Yemen, have publicly criticized the Israeli government’s military operation in Gaza.
A drone launched from Iran attacked a Chem Pluto chemical tanker in the Indian Ocean on Saturday, the Pentagon says. X/Indian Coast Guard
The Pentagon confirmed that the drone was launched from Iran. REUTERS
DRONE ATTACK ON MV CHEM PLUTO-The Indian Coast Guard’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, Mumbai, received information about a fire on board the MV Chem Pluto. The merchant ship with 20 Indian and 1 Vietnamese crew was allegedly attacked by a suspected drone attack on an aerial platform. (1/6) pic.twitter.com/CpioW9MfT9
— Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) December 23, 2023
Thousands of Palestinian citizens have been killed in the ongoing conflict, according to aid observers.
The Pentagon statement said this was the “seventh Iranian attack on commercial shipping since 2021.”
There were no casualties as a result of the attack and a brief fire on board the tanker was extinguished.
The incident took place just 200 nautical miles off the coast of India.
A spokesman for the Iranian delegation to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn