The US Department of Defense said a chemical tanker sailing in the Indian Ocean was struck by a drone launched from Iran early on Saturday.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Pentagon 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.”

The incident threatened to escalate tensions in the region, as it presented yet another threat to shipping, following a series of attacks on ships by Houthi rebels which were being launched out of Yemen. Several major carriers have diverted billions in shipped products from transiting the Suez Canal, instead directing their ships around the southern tip of Africa.

The incidents began as retaliation for the Israeli military invasion of Gaza following the terrorist attacks of October 7th, in which militants from Hamas crossed the border with Gaza into Israel to launch attacks on Israeli citizens, kidnapping some and bringing them back to Gaza.

Houthi militants in Yemen began launching attacks on ships transiting the coast of the nation, saying they would target any ship associated with Israel, or sailing to or coming from a port in Israel. Widely believed to be supported by the government of Iran, the Houthis, as well as the Iranian government were sharply critical of the actions of Israel in response to the attacks of October 7th. Aid monitors have accused Israel of killing thousands of citizens in the ongoing operations in Gaza.

The Pentagon noted the drone attack was the “seventh Iranian attack on commercial shipping since 2021.”

The latest attack did not cause any casualties on board the ship, and the crew quickly put out a brief fire caused by the drone. The drone struck the tanker roughly 200 nautical miles off the coast of India.

The Iranian government had no immediate comment on the reports of the attack.