The incident took place as the USS Abraham Lincoln was transiting the Arabian Sea, about 500 miles off Iran’s southern coast
A US fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone in the Arabian Sea early Tuesday after it “aggressively” approached an American aircraft carrier, the US military said.
The incident took place as the USS Abraham Lincoln was transiting the Arabian Sea, about 500 miles off Iran’s southern coast.
“USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) was transiting the Arabian Sea approximately 500 miles from Iran’s southern coast when an Iranian Shahed-139 drone unnecessarily maneuvered toward the ship. The Iranian drone continued to fly toward the ship despite de-escalatory measures taken by US forces operating in international waters,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins said.
Hawkins said an F-35C fighter jet launched from the carrier shot down the drone in self-defense to protect the vessel and its crew. No US servicemembers were injured and no American equipment was damaged.
In a separate incident later on Tuesday, two boats belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and a Mohajer drone approached a US-flagged, US-crewed commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz and threatened to board and seize it.
Hawkins said a US guided-missile destroyer responded and is currently escorting the merchant ship.
“CENTCOM forces are operating at the highest levels of professionalism and ensuring the safety of US personnel, ships, and aircraft in the Middle East. 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 destabilisation,” Hawkins said.
With inputs from agencies
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