A chemical tanker struck off the coast of India on Saturday was “attacked by a disposable attack drone fired from Iran,” a Pentagon statement said.
The attack occurred around 10 a.m. local time and caused no injuries on board the Japanese ship, it said, adding that a fire had been extinguished.
The US military “remains in communication with the ship as it continues to a destination in India,” it said.
The Pentagon statement said the Chem-Pluto ship was Liberian-flagged and operated by a Dutch company.
Click here to view related media.
Click to expand
The drone attack occurred 200 nautical miles off the coast of India, it said, adding that there were no US Navy ships in the area.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which came amid a spate of drone and missile attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels on a key shipping lane in the Red Sea. The US accused Iran on Friday of being closely involved in these attacks.
However, Iran's deputy foreign minister on Saturday rejected these US allegations and claimed the group was acting on its own initiative.
The Houthis say they are carrying out the attacks in solidarity with Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.
The Indian Navy said it was responding to a request for assistance.
“An aircraft was dispatched and reached the ship and provided safety for the affected ship and its crew,” a Navy official told AFP.
“An Indian Navy warship has also been dispatched to provide assistance if required.”
Trending News
Read more