A US Navy F-35 stealth fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone on Tuesday that was flying toward an American aircraft carrier with “unclear intent,” the US military told Business Insider.
The incident, which occurred over the Arabian Sea, comes as the US has positioned nearly a dozen warships in the Middle East and amid heightened tensions between the Trump administration and Iran.
The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln was transiting international waters roughly 500 miles from Iran’s southern coast “when an Iranian Shahed-139 drone unnecessarily maneuvered toward the ship,” said US Central Command spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins.
“The Iranian drone continued to fly toward the ship despite de-escalatory measures taken by US forces operating in international waters,” Hawkins said in a statement.
An F-35C fighter jet attached to the Lincoln shot down the Iranian drone “in self-defense and to protect the aircraft carrier and personnel on board,” Hawkins said, adding that no US service members were harmed and no American equipment was damaged.
It’s unclear if the Iranian drone was armed.
Several hours later, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces “harassed” an American-flagged merchant vessel transiting international waters in the Strait of Hormuz, Hawkins said.
“Two IRGC boats and an Iranian Mohajer drone approached M/V Stena Imperative at high speeds and threatened to board and seize the tanker,” Hawkins said.
A Navy destroyer operating in the area immediately responded to the incident to escort the Stena with support from the US Air Force. “The situation de-escalated as a result,” Hawkins said, “and the US-flagged tanker is proceeding safely.”
The US has surged various military assets into the Middle East in recent weeks, including air defense systems, combat aircraft, and warships, with President Donald Trump threatening to strike Iran again if it does not agree to negotiate a new nuclear deal.
Iranian leadership warned that any US military action, which Trump initially suggested in response to Tehran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests last month, would trigger a regional war.
Among the forces that have entered the Middle East is the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, which consists of the aircraft carrier and dozens of embarked fighter jets, as well as three destroyers carrying Tomahawk cruise missiles, among other weapons.
At least six other Navy warships are operating in the region, with two more in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.
“A massive Armada is heading to Iran. It is moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose,” Trump said last week, calling it a “larger fleet” than the one he sent to Venezuela ahead of the raid to capture Nicolás Maduro.
The two incidents on Tuesday occurred just several days after the US military urged the IRGC to avoid any “unsafe and unprofessional behavior” near American forces during a series of naval drills that were set to begin on Sunday but appear to have been called off.
Central Command forces “are operating at the highest levels of professionalism and ensuring the safety of US personnel, ships, and aircraft in the Middle East,” Hawkins said.
“Continued Iranian harassment and threats in international waters and airspace will not be tolerated. Iran’s unnecessary aggression near US forces, regional partners, and commercial vessels increases risks of collision, miscalculation, and regional destabilization,” he added.
US and Iranian officials are scheduled to meet later this week for negotiations, though it’s unclear whether Tuesday’s incidents will disrupt the diplomacy.
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