Reuters: US shoots down Iranian drone near aircraft carrier in Arabian Sea

The U.S. military shot down an Iranian drone on February 3 after it “aggressively” approached the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea, U.S. officials said, in an incident first reported by Reuters.

According to U.S. Central Command, the Iranian Shahed-139 drone was flying toward the carrier with “unclear intent” when it was intercepted by a U.S. F-35 fighter jet.

“An F-35C fighter jet from Abraham Lincoln shot down the Iranian drone in self-defence and to protect the aircraft carrier and personnel on board,” Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a Central Command spokesperson, said in a statement.

No U.S. service members were injured and no American equipment was damaged during the incident, Hawkins added.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations declined to comment. Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that contact had been lost with a drone operating in international waters but said the cause was unknown.

The incident occurred as diplomatic efforts were under way to arrange renewed nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran. U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that “bad things” would likely happen if negotiations failed, noting that U.S. warships were moving closer to Iran.

Oil futures rose by more than $1 per barrel following reports of the drone’s downing, reflecting heightened concerns over regional security.

The Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group represents the most visible element of a U.S. military buildup in the Middle East following last month’s violent crackdown on anti-government protests in Iran, described as the country’s deadliest domestic unrest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Trump, who stopped short of intervening during the unrest, has since demanded nuclear concessions from Tehran and ordered a naval deployment to the region. He said last week that Iran was “seriously talking,” while Iran’s top security official, Ali Larijani, confirmed that arrangements for negotiations were under way.

By Vugar Khalilov