U.S. Defense Department: Drone Launched from Iran Attacked a Ship in the Indian Ocean

The U.S. Department of Defense, Pentagon, announced that a drone launched from Iran attacked a chemical-laden ship in the Indian Ocean early Saturday, December 23. According to Reuters, the motor vessel 'Chem Pluto', flying the Liberian flag and owned by a Japanese company operated by the Dutch firm 'Eis Quantum', is linked to an Israeli billionaire. The ship was struck 200 nautical miles off the coast of India. A Pentagon spokesperson told Reuters that the one-way attack drone was fired from Iranian territory. Following the drone attack, a fire broke out on the ship, which was extinguished by the crew. No injuries were reported among the 20 crew members. Reuters reported that at the time of the attack, no U.S. military vessels were present in the area, but afterward, the 'Chem Pluto' moved towards India, and the U.S. military is in continuous contact with it. Additionally, the British maritime security company 'Ambrey' had previously reported that an Israeli-linked commercial ship was targeted by a drone 200 kilometers off the western coast of India. 'Ambrey' stated on its website that some structural damage was reported, and some water had entered the ship. According to Ambrey, the ship, linked to Israel, had last contacted Saudi Arabia and was en route to India at the time of the attack. An Indian Navy official also told Reuters that the country positively responded to the ship's request for assistance on Saturday morning, dispatching a warship to the area and providing necessary help. According to Reuters, the Pentagon also stated that this was the seventh direct attack by the Islamic Republic on commercial vessels since 2021, but the first time since the Israel-Hamas war that the Islamic Republic has directly engaged in an attack on a ship. Adrienne Watson, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, stated on Friday, December 22, that 'we know that the Islamic Republic has been heavily involved in planning attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea. This aligns with the Islamic Republic's long-term material support and encouragement of destabilizing actions by the Houthis in the region.' Jake Sullivan, the White House National Security Advisor, had previously stated in a press conference that Washington believes, based on evidence and reasoning, that these attacks, while carried out by the Houthis of Yemen, have been made possible with full support from the Islamic Republic. However, Islamic Republic officials deny any involvement in the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. Despite these denials, Mohammad Reza Naqdi, deputy coordinator of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, recently stated, 'Yesterday, the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz became a nightmare for them, and today they are trapped in the Red Sea.' Ali Fadavi, deputy commander of the IRGC, also acknowledged the Islamic Republic's military support for the Houthis and Hamas, threatening that ships flying the Israeli flag 'will certainly be hit.'