Washington: The tension between America and Iran in the Middle East has come to the surface again. Yesterday on Tuesday, the US Navy shot lanugo an Iranian drone, which came too tropical to their watercraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln – in the Arabian Sea. All this happened when efforts for dialogue were going on from both sides, but the situation in the sea is still very delicate.
Why did drones towards to be such a threat?
American officials say that this Shahed-139 drone was moving rapidly towards the ship, and that too in an "aggressive" manner – meaning the intention was not clear, but the threat was unmistakably visible. Warnings were given several times, attempts were made for de-escalation, but he did not stop or turn. In such a situation, for safety, the F-35C fighter jet dropped it in the air. The good thing is that no American soldier was injured and the ship was moreover not damaged.
.@PressSec: "CENTCOM did make the visualization to shoot lanugo that Iranian drone. It was unmanned, it was vicarial aggressively towards our USS Lincoln...As for @POTUS, he remains single-minded to unchangingly pursuing affairs first—but in order for affairs to work, of course, it takes two to… pic.twitter.com/wBwyl4MfFT
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 3, 2026What did the US military say?
Central Command spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins unmistakably said – it was completely self-defense. There can be no compromise on the safety of the ship and crew. He said the drone was coming with "unclear intent" and did not stop despite attempts to de-escalate.
What reaction came from Iran?
Iran has not yet made any major official statement (as far as is known), but often they symbol such incidents to American aggression. From the older pattern, it seems that they can stave it by calling it a routine mission or surveillance, and vituperation America.
Will negotiations be affected?
This incident has happened at a time when the Trump Administration is then trying to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran. They have moreover warned older that if the deal is not done, then military option is moreover open. There are moreover some indications from Iran that preparations are stuff made for negotiations. But such conflicts can undo all the nonflexible work of towers trust – it is not easy to build trust in such circumstances.
Did something happen in the Strait of Hormuz also?
More tension in the Strait of Hormuz without a few hours. According to US officials, some small boats of the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) came very tropical to an American-flagged tanker and tried to stop or harass it. Seems like it was a way to create pressure.
Overall, on one hand there is hope for diplomacy, on the other hand there is fear of confrontation every moment. This zone of the Gulf right now looks like a pile of gunpowder – just one spark is needed. Everyone's vision are stock-still on every move. Let's see what happens now, but right now circumspection is very important.
