U.S. Central Command says a U.S. Navy fighter jet has shot down an Iranian drone that was approaching the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea. In an emailed statement Tuesday, U.S. Central Command says the drone “aggressively approached” the aircraft carrier with “unclear intent” and kept flying toward it "despite de-escalatory measures taken by U.S. forces operating in international waters.” The U.S. military says the shootdown occurred within hours of another incident in which Iranian forces harassed a U.S.-flagged and U.S.-crewed merchant vessel that was sailing in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s president says he's instructed his foreign minister to “pursue fair and equitable negotiations” with the U.S.
