US military shoots down Iranian drone approaching USS Abraham Lincoln in Arabian Sea, official says

The U.S. military shot down an unmanned Iranian drone Tuesday after it "aggressively approached a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier with unclear intent," a U.S. Central Command spokesman told Fox News.

"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," Capt. Tim Hawkins added.

"The Iranian drone continued to fly toward the ship despite de-escalatory measures taken by U.S. forces operating in international waters," CENTCOM also said. " 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."

Hawkins said no U.S. service members were injured and no U.S. equipment was damaged during the incident.  

Hawkins also told Fox News on Tuesday that, "During a separate incident hours later in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces harassed a U.S.-flagged, U.S.-crewed merchant vessel lawfully transiting the international sea passage."

"Two IRGC boats and an Iranian Mohajer drone approached M/V Stena Imperative at high speeds and threatened to board and seize the tanker," the CENTCOM spokesman said. "Guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul (DDG 74) was operating in the area and immediately responded to the scene to escort M/V Stena Imperative with defensive air support from the U.S. Air Force. The situation de-escalated as a result, and the U.S.-flagged tanker is proceeding safely."

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.