Sailors and Marines stand on the tracks 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, Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, California, Dec. 20, 2024.
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U.S. forces shot down an Iranian drone that flew toward the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea on Tuesday, according to U.S. Central Command.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, with President Donald Trump considering a possible military attack on the Islamic Republic.
Col. Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, told CNBC in a statement that the Shahed 139 drone approached the carrier in an “aggressive manner” with “uncertain intent.”
Hawkins said the Abraham Lincoln was about 800 miles from Iran’s southern coast when the drone “unnecessarily maneuvered” toward the ship. U.S. forces were operating in international waters and taking de-escalation measures, but the drones continued to fly toward the aircraft carrier.
Hawkins said Abraham Lincoln’s F-35 fighter jet shot down the drone “in self-defense to protect the carrier and its crew.” He said there were no injuries to U.S. military personnel and no damage to U.S. military equipment.
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Hours after the drone was shot down, Iranian forces harassed a U.S.-flagged commercial ship carrying a crew that was legally transiting the Strait of Hormuz, Hawkins said. He said Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces threatened to board and seize the M/V Stena Imperative.
Hawkins said a U.S. guided-missile destroyer intervened and calmed the situation, and the merchant ship is now safely navigating.
President Trump sent Abraham Lincoln to the Middle East, threatening to attack Iran if it did not agree to a deal over its nuclear program. The president threatened to attack the Islamic Republic during mass anti-regime protests last month, but ultimately refrained from doing so.
Tuesday’s incident came as President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff is scheduled to confer with Iranian officials later this week. White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt said in an interview on Fox News that these conversations will continue.
“As far as the president is concerned, he remains committed to always pursuing diplomacy first,” Levitt said. “But for diplomacy to work, of course you need two people to tango. You need partners who are willing to engage.”
Mr. Levitt said President Trump “always has a wide range of options on the table, including the use of military force.”
