By یورونیوز
Published on •Updated
The incident comes as the American military presence in the region has increased to counter air threats and secure shipping routes, and tensions between Washington and Tehran have entered a new phase.
Reacting to recent events, CENTCOM commander Gen. Brad Cooper stressed that Iran’s continued nuisance and threats in international waters and airspace would no longer be tolerated. CENTCOM spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins outlined details of today’s two military confrontations. According to the report, on February 3, an American F-35C fighter downed it after an Iranian Shahd-139 drone with an invasion mode headed toward the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea.
The carrier was stationed 500 miles off the southern coast of Iran, and the drone had continued to advance despite U.S. efforts to de-escalate. American troops and equipment were not harmed in the incident.
Tensions stretch to Strait of Hormuz
Hours after the first incident, tensions stretched to the Strait of Hormuz; where the IRGC Navy, using two speedboats and a migrant UAV, threatened an American-flagged commercial oil tanker, the “Stena Imperative”. Reports suggested that Corps forces intended to approach and possibly impound the flotilla. However, the USS McFall missile destroyer, supported by RAF support, escorted the tanker until it reached the safe zone, and with timely intervention, it escorted the tanker until it reached the safe zone, ending the confrontation.
Iran and the US are supposed to start a new round of talks in Turkey soon but sources close to Tehran are reporting that the Iranian leadership would like to hold them in Oman instead.
