The U. S. military shot down an Iranian drone that approached the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea. This incident took place while diplomats were trying to arrange nuclear talks between the U. S. and Iran, and President Donald Trump warned that danger could arise if a deal was not reached. Following the drone’s shootdown, oil prices increased by more than $1 per barrel.
The drone, identified as an Iranian Shahed-139, was shot down by an F-35 fighter jet in self-defense to protect the carrier and its crew. No U. S. service members or equipment were harmed during this event. The Lincoln carrier strike group is part of a larger U. S. military presence in the Middle East after significant unrest in Iran.
In a separate incident, Iranian forces harassed a U. S.-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, demanding that it stop and prepare to be boarded. The tanker, M/V Stena Imperative, sped away instead. A U. S. Navy warship, the McFaul, was nearby and provided escort, leading to a de-escalation of the situation. The tanker continued its journey safely.
With information from Reuters
