Pentagon says Iranian drone 'attack' hit chemical tanker near India

A drone launched from Iran struck a chemical tanker in the Indian ocean early on Saturday, the U.S. Department of Defense said.

"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 a.m. GMT) today in the Indian Ocean, 200 nautical miles from the coast of India, by a one-way attack drone fired from Iran," a Pentagon spokesperson told Reuters on Saturday.

The incident highlights escalating regional tensions and new risk to shipping lanes after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.