A Japanese-owned chemical tanker struck on December 24 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.
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.
The attack came amid a flurry of new drone and missile attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi 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.
