US Military Shoots Down Iranian Drone Near Aircraft Carrier Lincoln In Arabian Sea

The US military shot down an Iranian drone that approached the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea, a US official told Reuters. The Iranian Shahed-139 drone was flying towards the carrier and was shot down by an F-35 US fighter jet.

The incident came amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran, as an oil tanker that’s part of a US military fuel procurement program was hailed by small armed ships in the Strait of Hormuz off Iran’s coast. The US-flagged Stena Imperative was hailed over radio while transiting the vital waterway, but the tanker continued its planned route and did not divert despite the requests, according to reports.

Iranian media said the country’s naval forces warned a vessel to leave Iranian territorial

waters after it failed to produce the necessary legal documents. The vessel departed immediately after the warning, Iran’s semi-official Fars News said.

The incident, which was earlier reported by the UK’s naval liaison in the region, occurred in a part of the inbound maritime corridor into the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow chokepoint that allows ships to enter and exit the Persian Gulf and accounts for about a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil trade.

Iran has in the past both harassed and seized ships sailing near its shores. Last year, it diverted a ship called the Talara to its waters, unloaded its cargo, and then released it. Late last week, Greece, the world’s largest tanker-owning nation, advised its ships to exercise caution while transiting the strait.

Tensions between Tehran and Washington have escalated. US President Donald Trump last week threatened a fresh attack on Iran and has since indicated that talks between the two countries over a new nuclear deal could take place in the coming days.