US fighter jet shoots down Iranian drone ‘in self defence’
The US military shot down an Iranian drone on Tuesday after it ‘aggressively’ approached an American aircraft carrier.
A F-35 US fighter jet shot down the Iranian Shahed-139 drone as it was flying towards the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea.
The clash took place approximately 500 miles from Iran’s southern coast, hours before Iranian ships tried to seize a US-flagged merchant vessel, according to U.S. Central Command spokesman.
Capt. Tim Hawkins added: ‘USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) was transiting the Arabian Sea approximately 500 miles from Iran’s southern coast when an Iranian Shahed-139 drone unnecessarily maneuvered toward the ship.
‘The Iranian drone continued to fly toward the ship despite de-escalatory measures taken by U.S. forces operating in international waters.
‘An F-35C fighter jet from Abraham Lincoln shot down the Iranian drone in self-defense and to protect the aircraft carrier and personnel on board.’
No US service members were injured and no US equipment were damaged during the incident.
Capt Hawks went on to warn: ‘Continued Iranian harassment and threats in international waters and airspace will not be tolerated.’
A separate flare-up unfolded a few hours later in the Strait of Hormuz, US officials added.
They said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces harassed a U.S.-flagged, U.S.-crewed merchant vessel and threatened to seize it.
Capt Hawkins added that a guided-missile destroyer then escored the vessel with support from the US airforce.
The hostilities comes after rising threats between Iran and the US government after Iranian regime suppressed a wave of protests in the country.
Donald Trump has previously said a ‘large armada or flotilla’ is heading to Iran as he pressures the Middle Eastern country on nuclear talks.
He has said ‘bad things’ would happen if a deal could not be reached.
The Lincoln carrier arrived in the Arabian Sea as part of a large US military buildup following Iran’s violent crackdown on protestors last month.
The US President repeatedly threatened to intervene militarily if Iran killed protestors.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency, a U.S.-based advocacy organization for rights in Iran, says more than 6,800 people died in the unrest.
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