Sailors and Marines 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 home port of Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, California, Dec. 20, 2024.
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The U.S. military on Tuesday shot down an Iranian drone that flew toward the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea, according to U.S. Central Command.
The incident occurred as tensions in the Middle East are high, with President Donald Trump weighing potential military strikes against the Islamic Republic.
The Shahed-139 drone “aggressively approached” the aircraft carrier with “unclear intent,” U.S. Central Command spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins told CNBC in a statement.
The Abraham Lincoln was about 500 miles from Iran’s southern coast when the unmanned aircraft “unnecessarily maneuvered” toward the ship, Hawkins said. U.S. forces were operating in international waters and took de-escalatory measures, but the drone continued to fly toward the aircraft carrier, he said.
An F-35 warplane from the Abraham Lincoln shot down the drone “in self defense to protect the aircraft carrier and personnel on board,” Hawkins said. No U.S. personnel were harmed and no U.S. equipment was damaged, he said.
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Hours after the drone was shot down, Iranian forces harassed a U.S. flagged and crewed merchant vessel that was lawfully transiting the Strait of Hormuz, Hawkins said. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces threatened to board and seize the M/V Stena Imperative, he said.
A U.S. guided missile destroyer intervened and de-escalated the situation and the merchant vessel is now proceeding safely, Hawkins said.
Trump has deployed the Abraham Lincoln to the Middle East as he threatens Iran with strikes if it does not negotiate a deal over its nuclear program. The president threatened to hit the Islamic Republic during mass demonstrations against the regime last month but ultimately held back from strikes.
The incidents Tuesday come as Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff is scheduled to have discussions with Iranian officials later this week. Those conversations are still scheduled to take place, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News in an interview.
“As for the president, he remains committed to always pursuing diplomacy first,” Leavitt said. “But in order for diplomacy to work of course it takes two to tango. You need a willing partner to engage.”
Leavitt said Trump “always has a range of options on the table and that includes the use of military force.”