U.S. Shoots Down Iranian Drone Near USS Abraham Lincoln

U.S. Navy F-35C fighter jet from the USS Abraham Lincoln shot down an Iranian Shahed-139 drone after it "aggressively approached" the carrier about 500 miles from Iran's southern coast, U.S. Central Command said.

The shootdown occurred within hours of U.S. Central Command saying Iran's Revolutionary Guard boats and a Mohajer drone approached the U.S.-flagged tanker Stena Imperative in the Strait of Hormuz and "threatened to board" the ship.

Iranian state media Tasnim said the Shahed-139 was conducting routine reconnaissance and successfully transmitted imagery before losing contact, a claim that conflicts with U.S. Central Command's characterization of the drone's intent, Tasnim and Central Command said.

The carrier strike group brought roughly 5,700 additional service members and was operating alongside three destroyers and three littoral combat ships, part of a broader U.S. military buildup in the region, U.S. military statements and analysts said.

Senior diplomats and U.S. officials said U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian officials are still scheduled to meet in Turkey on Friday despite the maritime incidents, keeping diplomatic options open, officials said.