Washington – US forces shot down an Iranian drone that was targeting a US Navy aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea on Tuesday, US Central Command confirmed.
The military said the drone “aggressively” approached the USS Abraham Lincoln as it was crossing the Arabian Sea about 500 miles off Iran’s southern coast and made an “unnecessary maneuver” toward the ship. USA. Central Command spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins said the drone continued to fly toward the carrier “despite countermeasures by US forces operating in international waters.”
The drone was shot down by an F-35 fighter jet, and no American service members were involved in the incident, Hawkins said in a statement.
US Central Command also confirmed hours later that forces from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps harassed a US-flagged and manned oil tanker, the Stena Imperative, which was transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Hawkins said two Iranian military boats and an Iranian drone approached the ship “at high speed and threatened to board and hijack the ship.”
The USS McCaul, a guided-missile destroyer in the area, responded to the scene to escort the ship with U.S. Air Force air support, according to Hawkins.
“CENTCOM forces are operating at the highest level of professionalism and ensuring the safety of US personnel, ships and aircraft in the Middle East,” he said. “Iran’s continued harassment and threats in international waters and airspace will not be tolerated. Iran’s unnecessary aggression in the vicinity of US forces, regional partners and merchant ships increases the risks of collision, miscalculation and regional instability.”
The US military has built up its presence near Iran in recent days under President Trump called “mass army”. The president told reporters last month that the military was sending ships to the Middle East “just in case” as his administration looks to Iran’s response to mass protests that erupted late last year.
It is believed that thousands of protesters were killed a repression against demonstrations Iranian authorities.
He was the president reported last month About the wide range of military options and covert tools that could be used against Iran, two Defense Department officials told CBS News at the time. But US allies are in the Middle East asking the president They are working to avoid attacking Iran and focus on diplomatic talks, regional officials told CBS News.
Mr Trump told reporters last week that he has held talks with Iranian officials and plans to hold further discussions.
“I told them two things: number 1, no nukes. And number 2, stop killing the protesters,” he said. “They will have to do something.”