US shoots down Iranian drone approaching aircraft carrier, official says

In an incident first reported by Reuters, the US military shot down an Iranian drone that “aggressively” approached the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea on Tuesday. The incident comes as diplomats are trying to organize nuclear talks between Iran and the US, and US President Donald Trump has warned that “bad things” are likely to happen if a deal is not reached as US warships advance towards Iran.

Oil futures prices rose more than $1 a barrel following news of the drone downing.

The US military said an Iranian Shahed-139 drone flew towards the aircraft carrier with “unspecified intent” and was shot down by an F-35 US fighter jet.

“An Abraham Lincoln F-35C fighter jet shot down the Iranian drone in self-defense and to protect the aircraft carrier and its personnel,” said Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins, spokesman for the US military’s Central Command.

Iran’s UN mission declined to comment.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency said that contact with a drone in international waters was lost, but the reason was unknown.
He added that no American soldiers were harmed and no US equipment was damaged during the incident. The Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group is the most visible part of a US military buildup in the Middle East following last month’s violent crackdown on anti-government demonstrations in Iran, the deadliest civil unrest since the 1979 revolution.

Trump, who has refrained from following through on threats to intervene during the crackdown, has since demanded nuclear concessions from Tehran and sent a fleet to its shores. He said last week that Iran was “talking seriously” while Tehran’s top security official, Ali Larijani, said negotiating arrangements were ongoing.

IRANIAN BOATS HARASS US FLAG TANKER

In a separate incident in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, just hours after the drone strike, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps harassed a US-flagged, US-crewed merchant ship, according to the US military.

“Two IRGC boats and an Iranian Mohajer drone approached the M/V Stena Imperative at high speeds and threatened to board the tanker and seize it,” said Hawkins.

Maritime risk management group Vanguard said Iranian boats instructed the tanker to cut its engine and prepare to board. Instead, the tanker accelerated and continued its journey.

The U.S. Navy warship McFaul was operating in the area and was escorting the Stena Imperative, Hawkins said.

“As a result, the situation has calmed down and the US-flagged tanker continues safely on its way,” Hawkins added.