US military says it shot down an Iranian drone in Arabian Sea 

The United States military says it shot down an Iranian drone that approached a US aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, amid continued efforts to ease tensions between Washington and Tehran.

In a statement on Tuesday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesperson Tim Hawkins said a US fighter jet from the USS Abraham Lincoln “shot down the Iranian drone in self-defense and to protect the aircraft carrier and personnel on board”.

The Shahed-139 drone was shot down by an F-35C fighter jet from the Lincoln, which CENTCOM said was sailing about 800km (500 miles) from Iran’s southern coast.

CENTCOM said the drone “aggressively approached” the aircraft carrier with “unclear intent” and it “continued to fly toward the ship despite de-escalatory measures taken by US forces operating in international waters”.

There was no immediate comment from the Iranian authorities on the incident.

The announcement comes as tensions have been easing between Tehran and Washington after US President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to attack Iran over a recent crackdown on antigovernment protests.

Trump, who has also been pushing Iran to agree to talks over the country’s nuclear programme, sent the USS Abraham Lincoln towards Iran last week, fuelling fears of a possible military confrontation.

But amid days of diplomatic efforts, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday that he had instructed the country’s foreign minister to “pursue fair and equitable negotiations”.

“I have instructed my Minister of Foreign Affairs, provided that a suitable environment exists – one free from threats and unreasonable expectations – to pursue fair and equitable negotiations, guided by the principles of dignity, prudence, and expediency,” he wrote on social media.

Iranian officials have repeatedly said they are open to nuclear talks, but only if the Trump administration ends its threats against the country.

Separately on Tuesday, CENTCOM said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces harassed a US-flagged and US-crewed merchant vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.

“Two IRGC boats and an Iranian Mohajer drone approached M/V Stena Imperative at high speeds and threatened to board and seize the tanker,” said Hawkins, the CENTCOM spokesman.

Iran’s semiofficial Fars news agency cited unnamed Iranian officials as saying later in the day that a vessel had entered Iranian territorial waters without the necessary legal permits.

The officials said the vessel was warned and left the area “without any special security event taking place”.