A routine transit through Middle Eastern waters turned tense Tuesday when U.S. forces destroyed an Iranian drone that moved toward a Navy aircraft carrier, marking the latest flashpoint between Washington and Tehran.
According to Fox News, the U.S. Central Command said the USS Abraham Lincoln was operating in the Arabian Sea when an unmanned Iranian aircraft altered its flight path and headed toward the carrier.
Officials said the drone’s actions raised immediate concerns about the safety of the ship and the thousands of personnel on board.
CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins said the carrier was roughly 500 miles off Iran’s southern coastline when the Shahed-139 drone “unnecessarily maneuvered toward the ship.” Despite attempts by U.S. forces to de-escalate the encounter, the drone continued its approach.
“The Iranian drone continued to fly toward the ship despite de-escalatory measures taken by U.S. forces operating in international waters,” CENTCOM said.
In response, an F-35C fighter jet launched from the Abraham Lincoln intercepted and shot down the drone.
Officials said the action was taken in self-defense and to protect the carrier strike group.
No U.S. service members were injured, and no American equipment was damaged during the incident, Hawkins said.
The drone shootdown was followed by another confrontation just hours later in one of the world’s most sensitive maritime chokepoints.
During a separate incident in the Strait of Hormuz, forces from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps harassed a U.S.-flagged, U.S.-crewed merchant vessel that was lawfully transiting international waters, 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,” he said.
The guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul was operating nearby and immediately moved to assist. The warship escorted the tanker while U.S. Air Force aircraft provided defensive air support.
“The situation de-escalated as a result, and the U.S.-flagged tanker is proceeding safely,” Hawkins said.
The Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group is currently deployed to the region following President Donald Trump’s warning last week that a major U.S. naval force was heading toward Iran.
“A massive Armada is heading to Iran,” Trump wrote, describing the deployment as larger than previous naval movements and stressing it was “ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary.”
Trump added that he hoped Iran would “Come to the Table” to negotiate a deal, insisting on “NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS” and warning that time was running out.
The twin incidents underscore the volatility of U.S.-Iran interactions at sea, even as American officials say U.S. forces will continue to operate in international waters and defend both military and commercial vessels when threatened.
