Iran denies it attacked Japan-owned tanker in Indian Ocean
Iran denied Monday that it attacked a Japanese-owned commercial tanker in the Indian Ocean over the weekend, with a Foreign Ministry spokesperson calling the U.S. government accusation “baseless.”
The Pentagon had said that the Liberian-flagged, Netherlands-operated chemical tanker was struck about 370 kilometers off India “by a one-way attack drone fired from Iran.” The Wall Street Journal reported that the vessel is connected to Israeli tycoon Idan Ofer.
Iran supports the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which has been engaged in a war with Israel since Oct. 7, and Yemen’s pro-Iranian Houthi rebels, who have repeatedly attacked commercial ships in the Red Sea.
A commander of Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has threatened to close other waterways if Israel continues its ground offensive in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
Israel’s ambassador to India condemned Iran’s actions, saying in a post on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday that “this Iranian instigated attack on international shipping shouldn’t come as a surprise.”
The tanker, which was carrying 20 Indians and one Vietnamese, had left Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and was heading to Mangalore, south-western India, according to the U.S. Defense Department and the Indian Coast Guard. No casualties have been reported, they said.
Following the attack, the vessel decided to head to Mumbai for repairs and to have the damage assessed with the assistance of the Indian Coast Guard.
