Southeast Asia Information Port (www.dnyxxg.com) – The Associated Press, citing US Central Command, reported on the 3rd that the US military shot down an Iranian drone in the Arabian Sea that day. The drone was approaching the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier.
Recently, the US has continued to pressure Iran, deploying multiple warships, including an aircraft carrier, in the Middle East and threatening military intervention.
US Central Command spokesman Tim Hawkins said in a statement that an Iranian Witness-139 drone "provocatively approached" the aircraft carrier in an "unclear manner," and "continued to fly towards the ship despite de-escalation measures taken by the US military in international waters."
The statement said the incident occurred approximately 500 miles (about 800 kilometers) off the southern coast of Iran. The drone was shot down by an F-35C fighter jet launched from the USS Abraham Lincoln. No US personnel were injured, and no US equipment was damaged.
The statement also revealed that several hours after the drone incident, two Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vessels and an Iranian drone approached at high speed in the Strait of Hormuz a US-flagged oil tanker piloted by US crew members, threatening to board and seize it.
The statement said that the USS McFaul, a guided-missile destroyer operating in the area at the time, immediately went to the scene and, with US Air Force support, escorted the tanker. "The situation was thus de-escalated, and the tanker is currently navigating safely."
According to US media reports, US Presidential Envoy Witkov and Iranian Foreign Minister Araqchi plan to hold talks on the 6th to discuss a "possible nuclear agreement."
US President Trump told reporters at the White House on the 2nd that negotiations between the US and Iran are ongoing, and he hopes to reach an agreement through negotiations. (End)
