Drone that hit tanker off India was launched from Iran, says US
The drone that hit a chemical tanker off the coast of India on Saturday was “fired from Iran,” the Pentagon said, in the latest sign of escalation in the war between Israel and Hamas.
No casualties were reported following the drone attack on the Japanese-owned vessel, but a fire is believed to have caused damage.
Ambrey, a British maritime security firm, said the “Israel-affiliated” tanker was en route to India from Saudi Arabia when it came under attack. The incident took place 200 nautical miles from the Indian coast.
It was the first time the Pentagon had openly accused Iran of directly targeting ships since the start of Israel’s war on Hamas. Hamas is backed by Tehran.
A spate of attacks on vessels in the Red and Arabian Seas have been claimed by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who control large swathes of Yemen.
The Houthis have vowed to attack any Israel-affiliated ships in the key shipping route, or any vessels heading towards an Israeli port and have launched more than 100 drone and missile attacks, targeting 10 merchant vessels involving more than 35 different countries, according to the Pentagon.
The Pentagon said the MV Chem Pluto was sailing under a Liberian flag and was operated by a Dutch entity, although the ship is owned by a Japanese company.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the Dutch company operating the MV Chem Pluto “is connected to Israeli shipping tycoon Idan Ofer”.
The attack came as an Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander threatened to close waterways if Israel, backed by the US, continues to “commit crimes” in Gaza.
“They shall soon await the closure of the Mediterranean Sea, [the Strait of] Gibraltar and other waterways,” Iranian media quoted Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi, the coordinating commander of the Guards, as saying.
Brig Gen Naqdi did not elaborate on how they would close the waterways.
While Iranian proxy force Hezbollah, as well as militias in Syria, have access to the Mediterranean, the General singled out the Strait of Gibraltar, which is on the other side of the sea.
The attacks on global shipping by Iran and its proxy forces since the start of the Israel-Hamas war have prompted major firms to reroute their cargo vessels around the southern tip of Africa, despite the higher fuel costs of much longer voyages.
Last month, an Israeli-owned cargo ship was hit in a suspected drone attack by Revolutionary Guards in the Indian Ocean, US officials said. The Pentagon statement said this was the seventh Iranian attack on commercial shipping since 2021.
On Sunday, Iran claimed it was bolstering its naval capabilities as it expands its war on global shipping, adding domestically produced sophisticated cruise missiles to its arsenal.
State TV said that Talaeieh and Nasir cruise missiles have arrived at a naval base near the Indian Ocean in the southern Iranian port of Konarak, around 850 miles south-east of Tehran.
Navy chief Admiral Shahram Irani said the Talaeieh has a range of more than 620 miles and called it a “fully smart” weapon. Irani said the cruise missile is capable of changing targets during travel. Admiral Irani said the Nasir has a range of 62 miles and can be installed on warships.
Iran regularly boasts that it is creating new weapons capable of reaching Israel and US interests in the region, but they can rarely be independently verified.
