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The US Army has spotted a ship moving towards its aircraft carrier ‘Abraham Lincoln’ in the Arabian Sea. Iranian drone Has been killed. This incident was confirmed by a US defense official on Tuesday. According to Reuters report, an American official said that Iran’s Shahed-139 drone had come very close to the US Navy aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln. Considering it a threat, the US Air Force’s F-35 stealth fighter jet destroyed it in the air.

This incident has happened at a time when there is already an atmosphere of tension in West Asia. The US Navy’s aircraft carrier ‘Abraham Lincoln’ is deployed on a security mission in the area. The US Army considered this action of the drone as a potential security threat.

Controversy over Shahed-139 drone before

Shahed series drones have been developed by Iran’s military and are used for both surveillance and attack purposes. Even before this, America and its allied countries have expressed objection to Iranian drones.

More tension in America-Iran relations

Experts believe that this incident may further sour the already tense relations between America and Iran. However, there has been no official reaction from Iran on this incident yet.

US Central Command spokesman Navy Captain Tim Hawkins said, “F-35C fighter aircraft flying from the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier shot down the Iranian drone in self-defense and to protect the aircraft carrier and its personnel.” He said that no American military personnel were harmed in this incident nor was any American equipment damaged.

Tension is sure to increase amid efforts to negotiate

This incident happened at a time when diplomatic efforts were being made regarding the possibility of nuclear talks between Iran and America. At the same time, US President Donald Trump had warned that if no agreement was reached and US warships continued moving towards Iran, “bad things” could happen.

The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is part of the US military buildup in the Middle East. The deployment follows a violent crackdown on anti-government protests in Iran last month, which is being considered the deadliest internal unrest in the country since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

American flagged ship harassed by Iranian security forces

The US Central Command also mentioned another incident, which took place a few hours later on Tuesday in the Strait of Hormuz. In this, boats of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) harassed a US-flagged merchant ship operated by an American crew. “Two IRGC boats and an Iranian Mohajer drone approached the M/V Stena Imperative at high speed and threatened to board and seize the tanker,” Hawkins said.