U.S. shoots down Iranian drone it claims ‘aggressively approached’ plane service

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A U.S. Navy fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone that was approaching the plane service USS Abraham Lincoln within the Arabian Sea, U.S. Central Command mentioned Tuesday, threatening to ramp up tensions because the Trump administration warns of potential army motion to get Iran to the negotiating desk.

The drone "aggressively approached" the plane service with "unclear intent" and saved flying towards it "regardless of de-escalatory measures taken by U.S. forces working in worldwide waters," Central Command spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins mentioned in an announcement.

The shootdown occurred inside hours of Iranian forces harassing a U.S.-flagged and U.S.-crewed service provider vessel that was crusing within the Strait of Hormuz, the American army mentioned.

The developments might escalate the heightened tensions between the longtime adversaries as U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to make use of army motion first over Iran's bloody crackdown on nationwide protests after which to attempt to get the nation to make a deal over its nuclear program.

Trump's Republican administration has constructed up army forces within the area, sending the plane service, guided-missile destroyers, air defence property and extra to complement its presence.

The Shahed-139 drone was shot down by an F-35C fighter jet from the Lincoln, which was crusing about 800 kilometres from Iran's southern coast, Hawkins mentioned. No American troops had been harmed, and no U.S. tools was broken, the army's assertion famous.

The Iranian mission to the UN didn't instantly remark to The Related Press on the incident. Iran's Tasnim information company mentioned connection had been misplaced with a drone in worldwide waters, however the purpose was unknown.

Speak to go forward with Witkoff Talks between particular envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian officers are nonetheless deliberate, White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt advised reporters.

"President Trump is all the time desirous to pursue diplomacy first, however clearly it takes two to tango," Leavitt mentioned. "As all the time, although, in fact, the president has a variety of choices on the desk with respect to Iran."

Hours earlier than the drone was shot down, Iranian Overseas Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on Telegram that he had spoken together with his counterparts in Kuwait, Qatar, Turkey and Oman concerning regional developments and the significance of defending "regional stability and safety."

After the shootdown, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard forces harassed the service provider vessel Stena Crucial, the U.S. army mentioned. Two boats and an Iranian Mohajer drone approached the ship "at excessive speeds and threatened to board and seize the tanker," Hawkins's assertion mentioned.

The destroyer USS McFaul responded and escorted the Stena Crucial "with defensive air assist from the U.S. Air Power," the assertion mentioned, including that the service provider vessel was now crusing safely.

Rising tensions Tensions started to rise once more between the U.S. and Iran as Tehran spent weeks quelling protests that started in late December in opposition to rising financial instability earlier than broadening right into a problem to the nation's ruling theocracy.

WATCH | Warning concerning the prospect of conflict: Iran's supreme chief warns of 'regional conflict'

Because the U.S. strikes a number of warships inside placing distance of Iran, the nation's supreme chief says an assault would begin a ‘regional conflict’ — however President Donald Trump is sustaining his checklist of calls for. [Correction: This video has been edited to remove images from a funeral of Iranian regime figures that were erroneously included in this report.] Trump had promised in early January to "rescue" Iranians from their authorities's protest crackdown earlier than beginning to strain Tehran once more to make a deal over its nuclear program. That's even because the Republican president insists Iranian nuclear websites had been "obliterated" in U.S. strikes in June.

"We have now talks happening with Iran. We'll see the way it all works out," Trump advised reporters Monday. Requested what his threshold was for army motion in opposition to Iran, he declined to elaborate.

"I might wish to see a deal negotiated," Trump mentioned. "Proper now, we're speaking to them, we're speaking to Iran, and if we might work one thing out, that'd be nice. And if we will not, in all probability unhealthy issues would occur."

Iran's president mentioned Tuesday that he instructed the nation's international minister to "pursue truthful and equitable negotiations" with the U.S., marking one of many first clear indicators from Tehran that it desires to attempt to negotiate with Washington regardless of a breakdown of talks final summer time.

Turkey had been working behind the scenes to make the talks occur there later this week as Witkoff is touring within the area. A Turkish official later mentioned the placement of talks was unsure however that Turkey was able to assist the method.

U.S. army build-up In the meantime, the U.S. army has been shifting a rising variety of property into the area over the previous a number of weeks, together with the Lincoln and a number of other destroyers, which arrived final week.

The service strike group, which introduced roughly 5,700 extra service members, joined three destroyers and three fight ships that had been already within the area.

Analysts of flight-tracking information even have seen dozens of U.S. army cargo planes heading to the area.

The exercise is just like final yr when the U.S. moved in air defence {hardware}, like a Patriot missile system, in anticipation of an Iranian counterattack following the U.S. bombing three key nuclear websites. Iran launched greater than a dozen missiles at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar days after the strikes.

The U.S. has a number of bases within the Center East, together with Al Udeid, which hosts hundreds of American troops and is the ahead headquarters for U.S. Central Command.