U.S. military shoots down Iranian drone that ‘aggressively approached’ aircraft carrier
Sailors and sailors man the rail as the U.S. Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) is guided by tugboats in San Diego Bay as it returns to its homeport at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, California, Dec. 20, 2024.
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The US military shot down an Iranian drone flying towards the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea on Tuesday.
The incident comes at a time of high tensions in the Middle East, where President Donald Trump is weighing possible military strikes against the Islamic Republic.
US Central Command spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins told CNBC that the Shahed-139 drone “aggressively approached” the aircraft carrier with “unclear intent.”
The Abraham Lincoln was about 500 miles off the southern coast of Iran when the drone made an “unnecessary maneuver” toward the ship, Hawkins said. He said US forces were operating in international waters and taking de-escalation measures, but the drone continued to fly towards the aircraft carrier.
An F-35 fighter jet belonging to the Abraham Lincoln shot down the drone “in self-defense to protect the aircraft carrier and the personnel on board,” Hawkins said. He said no US personnel were harmed and no US equipment was damaged.
U.S. crude oil prices were up more than 1% as of 1:20 PM ET.
Hours later, Hawkins said, Iranian forces harassed a US-flagged and crewed merchant ship that was legally passing through the Strait of Hormuz. He said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened to board and seize the M/V Stena Imperative.
A US guided missile destroyer intervened and de-escalated the situation, and the merchant ship is now safely on its way, Hawkins said.
Trump deployed Abraham Lincoln to the Middle East, threatening to attack Iran if it did not reach an agreement on its nuclear program. The president threatened to hit the Islamic Republic last month during mass demonstrations against the regime but eventually backed off the attacks.
This is an evolving story. Please check back for updates.
