The United States said Tuesday it shot down an Iranian drone “aggressively” near the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea.
Tensions between Washington and Tehran flared again after a US Navy warplane shot down an Iranian drone that was reported to have approached an American aircraft carrier early Tuesday. The United States said it shot down an Iranian drone “in self-defense and to protect the aircraft carrier and personnel on board.” The incident casts doubt on whether Iran and the United States will sit down for nuclear talks expected later this week.
Iran’s president said he had instructed the country’s foreign minister to “continue fair and equitable negotiations” with the United States.Also read: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, shot dead
However, plans for talks in Turkey appear tentative as there has been no word from either side to suggest otherwise.
Here’s what we know about the latest Iran-US flareupThe United States shot down Iran’s drone! The United States said on Tuesday that its navy fighter jets shot down an Iranian drone that was ‘aggressively’ near the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea. The Shahed-139 drone was shot down by an F-35C fighter jet from the USS Abraham Lincoln, which was about 500 miles (805 kilometers) off Iran’s southern coast, Central Command spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins said. Associated Press. Iranian state media later reported that an Iranian drone had completed a “surveillance mission in international waters”.Harassment of merchant ships by Iranian forces: Before the drone was shot down, the United States said Iranian forces had harassed a U.S.-flagged commercial ship with a U.S. crew that was sailing through the Strait of Hormuz. Two boats and an Iranian Mohajer drone approached the vessel, the tanker Stena Imperative, “at high speed and threatened to capsize the tanker,” Hawkins said in a statement.Also Read: Jaishankar, Rubio ‘welcome’ India-US trade deal, discuss critical minerals in Washington
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Iran wants ‘fair and equitable’ talks: On Tuesday, Iran’s president said he had instructed the country’s foreign minister to “continue fair and equitable negotiations” with the United States. The statement showed Tehran’s willingness to negotiate amid high tensions with the United States over Iran’s brutal crackdown on nationwide protests that began in December 2025.Turkey’s bid for a ceasefire: The push for talks between Tehran and Washington has come mainly from Türkiye, which has reportedly been working behind the scenes to make talks possible. Ap A Turkish official was quoted as saying that the venue of the talks is uncertain but that Türkiye is ready to support the process.Other countries invited for discussion: Foreign ministers from countries such as Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have also been invited to join the talks to defuse tensions that have become a geopolitical flashpoint between Iran and the United States.Read more: US House passes $1.2 trillion spending package, ends 4-day government shutdown
Iran’s demands on the location of talks: In the fresh flareup with, Iran Demands to shift the venue of talks from Türkiye to Oman, Reuters reported. It also claimed that the scope would be narrowed down to bilateral talks only on nuclear issues, the report added.What Trump said: US President Donald Trump warned on Monday that “bad things” were likely to happen if a deal was not reached with Iran, adding that “we are negotiating with them right now.”Get the latest US news headlines and global updates from Pakistan, Nepal, UK, Bangladesh, Russia and Iran US Tension Live Updates Get all the latest headlines at one place at Hindustan Times.
