An Iranian official responded to the US military’s announcement that it shot down a drone said to be Iranian, after it approached the US aircraft carrier “Abraham Lincoln,” denying that the plane belonged to Iran and questioning the American story.
In a post on the “X” platform on Tuesday evening, spokesman for the National Security Committee in the Iranian Parliament, Ebrahim Rezaei, wrote: “In order to shoot down a drone whose ownership is not yet clear, as well as the veracity of their claims, they caused a global uproar, and began cheering with joy for themselves and opening bottles of drinks in celebration.” He added sarcastically: “Thugs of empty alleys!… the drones are on the way.”
Earlier, US Central Command spokesman Captain Tim Hawkins stated that an American F-35C fighter shot down an Iranian Shahed-139 drone that was flying towards the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln with “unclear intent,” explaining that the shooting down was carried out “in self-defense and to protect the carrier and the soldiers on board,” without causing injuries or damage.
In a related context, the US Army stated that forces affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard clashed, hours after the drone incident, with a commercial ship flying the American flag in the Strait of Hormuz. Hawkins explained that two Iranian boats and a “Mohajer” drone quickly approached the ship “Stena Imperative” and threatened to board it and seize it.
On the other hand, the Vanguard Marine Risk Management Group reported that the two boats ordered the ship to stop its engine, but its crew increased speed and continued the voyage without any direct contact.
This escalation comes as diplomats seek to hold nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, amid warnings issued by US President Donald Trump that “bad things” might happen if an agreement fails to be reached, in conjunction with the strengthening of the US naval presence near the Iranian coast.
