U.S. fighter jet intercepts Iranian drone
Elegbede Abiodun
U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters from the 58th Fighter Squadron, 33rd Fighter Wing, Eglin AFB, Fla. perform an aerial refueling mission with a KC-135 Stratotanker from the 336th Air Refueling Squadron from March ARB, Calif., May 14, 2013 off the coast of Northwest Florida. The 33rd Fighter Wing is a joint graduate flying and maintenance training wing that trains Air Force, Marine, Navy and international partner operators and maintainers of the F-35 Lightning II. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Donald R. Allen/Released)
United States’ fighter jet on Tuesday shot down an Iranian drone after it “aggressively approached” a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea.
The drone was intercepted in self-defence by an F-35C stealth fighter jet that had taken off from the USS Abraham Lincoln, according to US Central Command spokesman Capt Tim Hawkins.
The incident occurred while the carrier was sailing approximately 500 miles from the Iranian coast, and the drone approached with “unclear intent.”
No U.S. equipment was damaged and no service members were injured.
The episode comes as the United States continues to strengthen its military presence in the region amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran.
BBC reports that President Donald Trump has threatened military action if Iran does not agree to new restrictions on its nuclear programme, while also raising the possibility of intervention during Iran’s crackdown on anti-government protests.
Following the incident, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that negotiations between the US and Iran remain scheduled for later this week.
She said Trump “remains committed to always pursuing diplomacy first,” but stressed that he “has always a range of options on the table, and that includes the use of military force.”
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has previously warned that any attack on the country would trigger a “regional war.”
Tehran has not yet commented on Tuesday’s drone incident.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s most senior overseas envoy, will attend the talks on behalf of the White House.
US media had initially reported that he would meet Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Istanbul on Friday, but sources cited by Axios indicate that Tehran has requested the venue be moved to Oman.
