<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;">A Japanese-owned chemical tanker struck Saturday off the coast of India was targeted by a drone “fired from Iran,” the Pentagon said, a sign of expanding risks to commercial shipping beyond the Red Sea.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>It was the first time the Pentagon has openly accused Iran of directly targeting ships since the start of Israel’s war on the militant group Hamas, which is backed by Tehran.</div><div><br></div><div>The attack came amid a flurry of new drone and missile attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels on the vital Red Sea shipping lane since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, with the group claiming to act in solidarity with Gaza.</div><div><br></div><div>Saturday’s Indian Ocean attack took place around 10 am local time (0600 GMT) and caused no casualties aboard the vessel, a Pentagon statement said, adding that a fire was extinguished.</div><div><br></div><div>The US military “remains in communication with the vessel as it continues toward a destination in India,” it added.</div><div><br></div><div>The drone strike occurred 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) off the coast of India, it said, adding that no US Navy vessels were in the vicinity.</div><div><br></div><div>The Pentagon statement said the MV Chem Pluto ship flew under a Liberian flag and was operated by a Dutch entity, although the ship is owned by a Japanese company.</div><div><br></div><div>Ambrey, a maritime security firm, said the “chemical/products tanker... was Israel-affiliated” and had been on its way from Saudi Arabia to India.</div><div><br></div><div>The Wall Street Journal reported that the Dutch company operating the MV Chem Pluto “is connected to Israeli shipping tycoon Idan Ofer.”</div><div><br></div><div>The Indian navy said it had responded to a request for assistance.</div><div>“An aircraft was dispatched and it reached overhead the vessel and established safety of the involved ship and its crew,” a navy official told AFP.</div><div><br></div><div>“An Indian navy warship has also been dispatched so as to provide assistance as required.”</div><div><br></div><div>There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the strike.</div><div>Last month, an Israeli-owned cargo ship was hit in a suspected drone attack by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the Indian Ocean, according to a US official.</div><div><br></div><div>The Malta-flagged vessel managed by an Israeli-affiliated company was reportedly damaged when the unmanned aerial vehicle exploded close to it, according to Ambrey. - AFP&nbsp;</div>