The Liberian-flagged tanker of chemical products was reportedly attacked 200 nautical miles from the Indian port of Velawal, the first such attack far from the Red Sea since the start of the Israeli-Hamas war.
A Pentagon spokesman said a motor vessel called Chem Pluto was hit by a one-way attack drone launched by Iran 200 nautical miles off the coast of India, a Pentagon spokesman said.
The fire on the ship was extinguished and no one was injured in the attack, which was the seventh Iranian attack on commercial shipping since 2021.
A spokesman for Iran's mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Hereford-based Global Maritime Ventures said earlier that the ship was Israeli-affiliated — but did not provide details about it.
These types of attacks are usually directed against Israeli-affiliated vessels, and there is a growing threat to ships off the coast of Yemen, with Yemen's Houthi rebels saying they are targeting Israeli-linked vessels to support Palestinians besieged by Israel in Gaza.