A US stealth warplane shot down an Iranian drone that “aggressively” approached a US aircraft carrier as it sailed in the Arabian Sea on Tuesday, a US military spokesman said.
The incident happened with the aircraft carrier about 500 miles (800 kilometers) off Iran’s coast and came on the same day that U.S. forces responded to Iranian boats that threatened to board a U.S.-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.
“An Abraham Lincoln F-35C fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone in self-defense and to protect the aircraft carrier and personnel on board,” US Central Command spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins said in a statement.
The downing occurred after the Shahed-139 drone “continued to fly toward the ship despite de-escalation measures taken by US forces,” Hawkins said.
He also confirmed a separate incident later on Tuesday in which two Iranian boats and a drone approached the US-flagged M/V Stena Imperative “at high speed and threatened to board and seize the tanker”.
A U.S. destroyer — the USS McFaul — responded with U.S. Air Force support and escorted the tanker, which is now “proceeding safely,” Hawkins added.
US President Donald Trump has threatened military action against Iran and sent a fleet of warships to the Middle East after anti-government protests in Iran were met with a deadly crackdown last month.
Trump said he hoped Washington would “work something out” with Tehran, but also warned that “bad things would happen” if no deal was reached, while Iran insisted it wanted diplomacy while promising a decisive response to any aggression.