The U.S. military downed an unmanned Iranian drone as it “aggressively approached” the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea on Tuesday, according to the U.S. military.
U.S. Central Command spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins said the Iranian Shahed-139 drone was shot down by an F-35C fighter jet from the USS Abraham Lincoln “in self-defense and to protect the aircraft carrier and personnel on board.”
The USS Abraham Lincoln was reportedly 500 miles from Iran’s southern coast when the drone approached with “unclear intent” despite de-escalatory measures taken by American forces.
Hours later, forces with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a U.S.-designated foreign terror organization, harassed a U.S.-flagged and crewed oil tanker, Stena Imperative, that was passing through the Strait of Hormuz. According to Hawkins, two Iranian boats and an Iranian Mohajer drone approached the American vessel “at high speeds and threatened to board the tanker,” per CENTCOM.
The USS McFaul, a guided-missile destroyer, was in the area and escorted the vessel along with “defensive air support from the U.S. Air Force” to de-escalate the situation.
“CENTCOM forces are operating at the highest levels of professionalism and ensuring the safety of U.S. personnel, ships, and aircraft in the Middle East,” Hawkins said. “Continued Iranian harassment and threats in international waters and airspace will not be tolerated. Iran’s unnecessary aggression near U.S. forces, regional partners and commercial vessels increases risks of collision, miscalculation, and regional destabilization.”
The USS Abraham Lincoln Strike Group, which recently arrived in international waters near Iran, adds roughly 5,700 U.S. service members to the region. The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and its three Arleigh Burke-class destroyer escorts are among the 10 U.S. warships believed to be operating in the area.
The arrival of the strike group — along with additional vessels and aircraft — marks a broader military buildup as tensions between President Donald Trump and the Islamic Republic of Iran continue to escalate over the regime’s violent crackdown on protesters, with death toll estimates reaching as high as 36,000.
Despite the rising tensions, U.S. officials are still expected to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday.
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