Pentagon: Iranian drone attacks chemical tanker near India

The US Department of Defense stated that a drone launched from Iran struck a chemical tanker in the Indian Ocean yesterday, Saturday. 

A Pentagon spokesperson told Reuters, “The motor vessel CHEM PLUTO, a Liberia-flagged, Japanese-owned, and Netherlands-operated chemical tanker was struck at approximately 10 am local time (6 am GMT) today in the Indian Ocean, 200 nautical miles from the coast of India, by a one-way attack drone fired from Iran.” 

The incident highlights escalating regional tensions and new risks to maritime routes following the attack by the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on Israel on October 7. 

The Pentagon statement noted that this is the “seventh Iranian attack on commercial shipping since 2021.” 

No injuries occurred as a result of the attack, and a brief fire on board the tanker was quickly extinguished. 

A spokesperson for the Iranian delegation at the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Reuters