CHEM PLUTO
The U.S. Department of Defense claimed that a drone allegedly launched from Iran struck a chemical tanker in the Indian ocean.
“The motor vessel CHEM PLUTO, a Liberia-flagged, Japanese-owned, and Netherlands-operated chemical tanker 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 said quoted by Reuters.
The incident took place only 200 nautical miles from the coast of India.
In own turn, the Indian Coast Guard said that there had been no loss of life among the 21 crew members and the crew had managed to douse the fire on board after what it described as a “suspected drone strike.”
Meanwhile, British maritime security firm Ambrey described the attacked tanker as “Israel-affiliated,” without elaborating the source of the claim.
It should be noted that the tanker had been en route from Saudi Arabia to India. The company claimed that the attack resulted in the ship sustaining “structural damage” and “some water… taken onboard”.
The allegations of the Pentagon comes amid the decision of the Houthi-led government based in Yemen to attack ships linked to Israel that attempt to pass through the Gulf of Aden into the Red Sea. The decision was made as a response to Israeli attacks on Gaza.
Reports claim that the threat to shipping forced thousands of vessels to re-route around Africa, adding weeks to their journeys, rather than risking an attack.
The US claims that Iran is “deeply involved” in Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea, claiming that Tehran has provided them with drones, missiles, and intelligence. Iran has denied the allegation.
The US and several other NATO member states deployed a joint naval task force to patrol the Red Sea and already claimed shooting down numerous Yemeni drones. However, this provided little ‘security’ to the region and the situation escalated even more. The Houthis, vowed to continue attacking Israeli-linked ships, and said any Western strikes will not go unanswered.
