US shoots down Iranian drone that ‘aggressively’ approached an aircraft carrier, military says
WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. Navy fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone that approached the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea, U.S. Central Command said Tuesday, raising tensions as the Trump administration warns of possible military action to push Iran toward negotiations.
The drone “aggressively approached” the carrier with “unclear intent” and continued flying toward the ship despite “de-escalatory measures” by U.S. forces operating in international waters, Central Command spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins said in a statement.
The shootdown occurred within hours of Iranian forces harassing a U.S.-flagged, U.S.-crewed merchant vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the U.S. military.
A Shahed-139 drone was downed by an F-35C fighter jet launched from the Lincoln, which Hawkins said was operating about 500 miles (800 kilometers) off Iran’s southern coast. The military reported no American injuries and no damage to U.S. equipment.
Hours later, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps harassed the merchant vessel Stena Imperative, the statement said. Two boats and an Iranian Mohajer drone approached the ship at high speed and threatened to board and seize the tanker.
The destroyer USS McFaul responded and escorted the vessel with defensive air support from the U.S. Air Force. The merchant ship later continued its voyage safely.
The incidents come amid heightened tensions between the two longtime adversaries. Strains have increased in recent weeks as Iran’s government worked to suppress protests that began in late December over economic instability and expanded into broader opposition to the Islamic Republic.
In early January, President Donald Trump said the U.S. would “rescue” Iranians from what he described as a violent crackdown by their government, part of a broader pressure campaign aimed at pushing Tehran toward a new agreement over its nuclear program. Trump has also said Iranian nuclear facilities were “obliterated” in U.S. strikes in June.
“We have talks going on with Iran. We’ll see how it all works out,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday. Asked about his threshold for military action, he declined to provide specifics.
“I’d like to see a deal negotiated,” Trump said. “Right now, we’re talking to them, we’re talking to Iran, and if we could work something out, that’d be great. And if we can’t, probably bad things would happen.”
The drone incident came hours after Iran’s president said he had instructed the country’s foreign minister to pursue “fair and equitable negotiations” with the United States, one of the clearest signs from Tehran that it is open to renewed talks following a breakdown in negotiations last summer.
Turkey has reportedly been working behind the scenes to facilitate discussions later this week as U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff travels in the region. A Turkish official said the location for potential talks remains uncertain but that Turkey is prepared to support the process.
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