The U.S. military shot down an unmanned Tuesday after it “aggressively approached a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier with unclear intent,” a U.S. Central Command spokesman told .
(CVN 72) was transiting the Arabian Sea roughly 500 miles from Iran’s southern coast when an Iranian Shahed-139 drone made an unnecessary maneuver toward the ship,” Capt. Tim Hawkins added.
“The Iranian drone kept flying toward the ship even after U.S. forces operating in international waters took de-escalatory measures,” CENTCOM also said. “An F-35C fighter jet from the Abraham Lincoln shot down the Iranian drone in self-defense to protect the aircraft carrier and personnel on board.”
Hawkins said no U.S. service members were hurt and no U.S. equipment was damaged during the incident.
Hawkins also told on Tuesday that, “During a separate incident hours later in the , Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces harassed a U.S.-flagged, U.S.-crewed merchant vessel legally transiting the international sea passage.”
“Two IRGC boats and an Iranian Mohajer drone approached the M/V Stena Imperative at high speed and threatened to board and seize the tanker,” the CENTCOM spokesman said. “The guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul (DDG 74) was operating in the area and immediately responded to the scene to escort the M/V Stena Imperative with defensive air support from the U.S. Air Force. The situation de-escalated as a result, and the U.S.-flagged tanker is proceeding safely.”
The USS Abraham Lincoln is in the Middle East following President Donald Trump’s remarks last week that, “A massive Armada is heading to Iran.”
“It is moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose. It is a larger fleet—headed by the great Aircraft Carrier Abraham Lincoln—than that sent to Venezuela. Like with Venezuela, it is, ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence if necessary,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “Hopefully, Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal—NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS—one that is good for all parties. Time is running out, it is truly of the essence!”