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The United States Navy on January 12 confirmed that an Israel-affiliated tanker was recently attacked off the shores of India and Sri Lanka.
The chemical tanker Pacific Gold was struck on January 4 by what the Navy called “an Iranian one-way attack” drone, causing some damage to the vessel but no injuries.
“Iran’s actions are contrary to international law and threaten maritime security and stability,” said Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of the Navy’s Mideast-based 5th Fleet.
The Pacific Gold is managed by Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping, a company that is ultimately controlled by Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer.
A private security official previously acknowledged to the AP that the tanker was attacked. However, Al Mayadeen TV, which is close to the Iran-led Axis of Resistance, was the first to report the attack.
At the time, the Lebanon-based news channel said that a second tanker, the Liberia-flagged Chem Silicon, was attacked to the northwest of the Maldives. The tanker is managed by the Dutch Ace Tankers, which is also controlled by Idan Ofer. The reported attack on the tanker is yet to be confirmed however.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps may have attacked the Pacific Gold in response to the recent killing of its senior commander, Brigade General Razi Mousavi, in Syria. Tehran had held Israel responsible for the assassination and vowed to respond.
The U.S. accused Iran of targeting several commercial vessels in the Indian ocean since the outbreak of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, which heightened tensions in the Middle East. In addition, Iran seized a tanker in the Gulf of Oman earlier this week in response to what it called “oil theft” by the U.S. last year.
