Iran’s navy yesterday added domestically produced sophisticated cruise missiles to its arsenal, Terhan’s state media reported, a day after the Pentagon accused Iran of using a drone to strike a chemical tanker off the coast of India.
It was reported that Talaeieh and Nasir cruise missiles have arrived at a naval base near the Indian Ocean in the southern Iranian port of Konarak, about 1,400km southeast of the capital, Tehran.
Iranian Navy Commander Admiral Shahram Irani said that the Talaeieh has a range of more than 1,000km and is capable of changing targets during travel.
Photo: Houthi Military Media/Handout via Reuters
The Nasi has a range of 100km and can be installed on warships, Irani said.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon said a Japanese-owned chemical tanker that was struck on Saturday was targeted by a drone “fired from Iran,” in 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 against Hamas, which is backed by Tehran.
The attack came amid a flurry of new drone and missile attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels on the vital Red Sea shipping lane, with the group claiming to be acting in solidarity with Gaza.
Saturday’s Indian Ocean attack took place at about 10am and caused no casualties, the Pentagon said in a statement, adding that a fire was extinguished.
The US military “remains in communication with the vessel as it continues toward a destination in India,” it added.
The drone strike occurred 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) off the coast of India, it said.
The MV Chem Pluto was flying under a Liberian flag and is operated by a Dutch entity, although it is owned by a Japanese company, the Pentagon said.
Ambrey, a maritime security firm, said the “chemical/products tanker... was Israel-affiliated” and had been on its way from Saudi Arabia to India.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the Dutch company operating the MV Chem Pluto “is connected to Israeli shipping tycoon Idan Ofer.”
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the strike.
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