US navy shoots down Iranian drone near USS Abraham Lincoln in Arabian Sea

US downs Iranian drone near carrier

The US military downed an Iranian drone after it flew close to the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea, a US official told Reuters. The drone, identified as an Iranian Shahed-139, was heading towards the carrier when it was shot down by a US F-35 fighter jet.

The episode unfolded against the backdrop of rising tensions between Washington and Tehran, following an encounter involving an oil tanker linked to a US military fuel procurement programme in the Strait of Hormuz off Iran’s coast. The US-flagged Stena Imperative was hailed over radio by small armed vessels while sailing through the strategic waterway but continued on its planned route and did not divert, according to reports.

Iranian media, however, said the country’s naval forces had warned a vessel to leave Iranian territorial waters after it failed to present the required legal documentation. The ship departed immediately after the warning, Iran’s semi-official Fars News reported.

The incident, first flagged by the UK’s naval liaison office in the region, took place in a section of the inbound maritime corridor leading into the Strait of Hormuz. The narrow passage is a critical chokepoint for global energy supplies, handling roughly a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil trade.

Iran has previously harassed and seized vessels operating near its coastline. Last year, it diverted a ship named the Talara into its waters, unloaded its cargo, and later released it. More recently, Greece — the world’s largest tanker-owning nation — advised its ships to exercise caution while transiting the strait.

Strains between Tehran and Washington have continued to intensify. US President Donald Trump last week threatened a renewed attack on Iran and has since suggested that talks on a potential new nuclear deal between the two sides could take place in the coming days.

(With inputs from agencies)