The Indian Navy said late Monday that it intends to deploy three destroyer ships equipped with guided missiles in the Arabian Sea after an Israeli commercial ship was attacked off the Indian coast over the weekend, in an effort to “maintain a deterrent presence.”

A statement said that the Indian Navy is investigating the nature of the attack on the ship "Kim Pluto", which docked in Mumbai on Monday, and initial reports indicated a drone attack.

The statement added: “Further forensic and technical analysis will be needed to determine the source of the attack, including the type and quantity of explosives used.”

Kim Pluto was subjected to an attack, for which Washington pointed the finger at Iran.

But an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Monday that the American claim that Iran attacked the ship near India was “unfounded.”

The Pentagon said on Saturday that a drone launched from Iran struck the ship "Kim Pluto" in the Indian Ocean.

The strike came as a US-led task force tries to confront similar security challenges in the Red Sea, where ships believed to be linked to Israel are under attack from the Houthis.

The Indian Navy statement said: “In view of the recent wave of attacks in the Arabian Sea, the Indian Navy has deployed the guided missile destroyers Mormugao, Kochi and Kolkata in various areas, to maintain a deterrent presence.”

The Indian Navy added that a joint investigation into the attack is being conducted by various agencies, after the explosive ordnance team completed its analysis.

The ship's crew includes 21 Indians and one Vietnamese.