The Wall Street Journal reported that the Pentagon confirmed that the drone that attacked a ship in the Arabian Sea off the coast of India on December 23 was launched from Iran.
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| US officials say unmanned vessels, such as Saildrone, give them better visibility in the waters of the Middle East. (Source: US Navy) |
“The Chem Pluto, a Liberian-flagged, Japanese-Dutch-owned chemical tanker, was attacked at approximately 10:00 a.m. local time on December 23 in the Indian Ocean, 200 nautical miles off the coast of India, by an Iranian drone,” a Pentagon spokesman was quoted as saying.
Earlier in the day, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a drone had attacked a ship off the coast of India, causing an explosion and subsequent fire. India's ANI news agency quoted Indian military officials as saying the ship was the Chem Pluto. The ship was transporting crude oil from Saudi Arabia to India.
After the armed conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement escalated in October, Yemen's Ansar Allah rebels, also known as the Houthis, have stepped up attacks on Israel-linked cargo ships in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, vowing to continue the attacks until Israel ends its hostilities in the Gaza Strip.
In another development, according to Sputnik news , the Iranian government said on December 23 that the country's Foreign Ministry had summoned the Russian Ambassador to Iran and handed over a diplomatic note of protest regarding a joint statement adopted after the 6th session of the Russia-Arab Cooperation Forum on three islands in the Arabian Gulf, whose territory is linked to Iran and has long been embroiled in a dispute with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
On the Telegram application, the Iranian government confirmed: “On the evening of December 23, the Russian Minister Counselor in Tehran, on behalf of the Ambassador of this country, was summoned to … The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran expressed its strong protest against Moscow for the repetition of the Russian government's support for the baseless accusations mentioned in the statement released after the 6th session of the Russia-Arab Cooperation Forum in Morocco and a note of protest was delivered to the Minister Counselor (of Russia)”.
Earlier this week, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani condemned the statement, noting that the Islamic Republic of Iran does not consider the issue of territorial integrity and sovereignty over the three islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb a subject of discussion. He added that Tehran “rejects any claim by any party on this issue and will not renounce its rights to its own sovereignty and territory.”
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