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The U.S. military shot down an unmanned Iranian drone on Tuesday after it “aggressively approached a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier with unclear intentions,” a spokesperson for U.S. Central Command told Fox News.
“The USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) was transiting the Arabian Sea approximately 500 miles off the southern coast of Iran when an Iranian Shaheed-139 drone inexplicably moved toward the ship,” said Capt. Tim Hawkins.
CENTCOM also said, “Despite de-escalation measures taken by U.S. forces operating in international waters, the Iranian drone continued to fly toward the ship.” “An F-35C fighter jet from Abraham Lincoln shot down the Iranian drone in self-defense and to protect the aircraft carrier and personnel aboard.”
Hawkins said no U.S. service members were injured and no U.S. equipment was damaged during the incident.
The USS Abraham Lincoln is sailing in the Pacific Ocean in this photo released in August 2024. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist Seaman Apprentice Daniel Kimmelman)
Hawkins also told Fox News on Tuesday that, “During a separate incident a few hours later in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces harassed a U.S.-flagged, U.S.-crewed merchant ship lawfully transiting international waters.”
“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,” a CENTCOM spokesperson 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 U.S. Air Force defensive air support. The situation de-escalated as a result, and the U.S.-flagged tanker is safely underway.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
