News Brief
MV Chem Pluto
On Monday (25 December), Iran dismissed a US allegation that it was responsible for an attack on a chemical tanker in the Arabian Sea, near the coast of Gujarat, on 23 December, labeling the claim as "baseless".
In response to an inquiry regarding the assault, a spokesperson from Iran's Foreign Ministry said that the “US accusation is baseless.”
This rebuttal came a day after the Pentagon said that a drone launched from Iran had struck the vessel in the Indian Ocean.
The incident took place around 200 nautical miles southwest of Veraval at about 10 am on Saturday and triggered an explosion. While no injuries were reported, it's reported that the ship suffered some damage due to the fire.
A Pentagon representative confirmed in a Sunday statement to news agency Reuters that the ship was hit by a one-way attack drone fired form Iran.
“The motor vessel CHEM PLUTO, a Liberia-flagged, Japanese-owned, and Netherlands-operated chemical tanker was struck at approximately 10 a.m. local time (6 am GMT) today (Saturday) in the Indian Ocean, 200 nautical miles from the coast of India, by a one-way attack drone fired from Iran,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying by news agency Reuters.
The Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Vikram escorted Chem Pluto in the Arabian Sea towards Mumbai and officials told news agency ANI that Dornier aircraft were also airborne to keep an eye on the merchant vessels and carry out surveillance in the area.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.
Latest