US Forces Shoot Down Iranian Drone Over Arabian Sea

The U.S. Central Command said an Iranian drone ignored de-escalatory instructions as it flew toward the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.

An MH-60R Sea Hawk, assigned to Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 71, flies between Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) transiting the San Bernardino Strait in formation with Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121) on Dec. 25, 2025. Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Christian Kibler/U.S. Navy

A U.S. fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone as it approached a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea on Feb. 3, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has announced.

The incident comes at a moment of heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran. President Donald Trump recently ordered naval forces to the Middle East, and has threatened military strikes on Iran if it doesn’t agree to new limits on its nuclear development.