The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has disclosed that a US Navy fighter jet has shot down an Iranian drone that was moving toward the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea.
In a statement released on Tuesday, CENTCOM said the drone approached the carrier in what it described as an “aggressive manner,” with its mission or purpose remaining unclear. According to the US military, the drone kept advancing toward the vessel despite efforts by American forces to deter the move while operating in international waters.
The drone, identified as a Shahed-139, was reportedly destroyed by an F-35C fighter jet launched from the USS Abraham Lincoln. CENTCOM said the carrier was sailing approximately 800 kilometres away from Iran’s southern coastline at the time of the incident.
The US military confirmed that no American personnel were injured and no equipment was damaged during the encounter.
CENTCOM also revealed that the incident occurred just hours after Iranian forces allegedly harassed a US flagged merchant vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route.
According to the statement, the merchant ship, Stena Imperative, was approached by two Iranian boats alongside a Mohajer drone. The vessels reportedly moved toward the tanker at high speed and issued threats suggesting an attempt to board and seize the ship.
