Pentagon claims Iranian drone 'attack' hit ship off Gujarat coast
The United States (US) Department of Defense on Sunday claimed the drone attack on a Japanese-owned chemical tanker, MV Chem Pluto, near India's coast was launched from Iran. A drone struck the merchant vessel, with approximately 20 Indian crew onboard, off Gujarat's Porbandar coast in the Arabian Sea at around 11:30am (IST) on Saturday. According to a Pentagon statement, the attack caused no casualties but led to a fire aboard the vessel, which was extinguished.
Why does this story matter?
The incident follows a string of missile and drone strikes by Yemen's Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, on a crucial Red Sea shipping lane since the Israel-Hamas conflict. The group has expressed solidarity with the war-torn, Hamas-controlled Gaza. To recall, Hamas killed roughly 1,200 Israelis and took around 240 hostages during its October 7 cross-border attacks on Israel. The Jewish nation responded to it by launching a multi-pronged military aggression in Gaza, killing more than 20,000 Palestinians so far.
7th Iranian attack on commercial shipping since 2021: Pentagon
While there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the drone strike by any group, the Pentagon flagged that Saturday's incident was the "seventh Iranian attack on commercial shipping since 2021." It also said that the drone strike occurred 370 kilometers off the Indian coast, and the US military "remains in communication with the vessel as it continues toward a destination in India."
Indian Coast Guard, Navy's prompt response after strike
The Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy deployed assets after the drone strike to aid the merchant vessel, reportedly carrying chemicals from Saudi Arabia's Jubail port to Karnataka's Mangalore. In a statement, the Indian Coast Guard said the Liberian-flagged commercial ship has started heading toward Mumbai after undertaking damage assessment and repairs on its power generation systems.
You can read Indian Coast Guard's full statement here
Japnese-owned tanker linked to Israel: Report
According to BBC, maritime security firm Ambrey claimed that the commercial tanker was linked to Israel. Furthermore, it quoted Ambrey as stating that the incident "fell within an area the firm considered a heightened threat area for Iranian drones." Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal claimed that a Dutch company operating the vessel "is connected to Israeli shipping tycoon Idan Ofer."
Know about recent Houthi attacks in Red Sea
Several shipping companies have reportedly been forced to reroute their cargo vessels through longer routes due to the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, despite higher fuel costs. The Pentagon claimed the Houthi rebels have carried out over 100 drone and missile attacks, targeting 10 merchant ships linked to over 35 different nations. In November, an Israeli cargo vessel was also attacked in an alleged drone strike by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the Indian Ocean.
Iran's revolutionary guard's recent warning to Israel
Significantly, an official of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard on Saturday warned of the forced closure of other waterways, too, unless the Jewish nation stops its war against Hamas in 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 Mohammad Reza Naqdi, per Tasnim news agency.
