Web Desk/AFP

WASHINGTON:&nbsp;A US fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone that approached an American aircraft carrier in the Middle East on Tuesday, Washington said, as renewed&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-joins-iranus-talks-as-tensions-rise-foreign-office" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">tensions</a>&nbsp;on the high seas overshadowed plans for nuclear talks, AFP reported. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that US envoy Steve Witkoff is still expected &quot;to have conversations with the Iranians late this week,&quot; despite the incident. The downing of the drone was the second clash between the foes in Middle Eastern waters on the same day, after Iranian forces attempted to detain a US-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. Washington and Tehran have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-hopeful-of-iran-deal-after-tehran-warns-of-regional-war" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">agreed</a> to talks after US President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened Iran with military action &mdash; and Iran warned that it would respond with strikes on US vessels and bases. The United States bombed Iran&#39;s nuclear sites last summer and has sent a naval battlegroup back to the region since Tehran&#39;s deadly crackdown on anti-government protests. Negotiations are now set for Friday, but Trump has refused to rule out military action, and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, insists talks will only go ahead if they are free of threats. &quot;An F-35C fighter jet from Abraham Lincoln shot down the Iranian drone in self-defense,&quot; Central Command spokesman Captain Tim Hawkins said in a statement. The aircraft carrier was dispatched to the Arabian Sea last month amid a buildup of US forces. &#39;Bad things&#39;&nbsp;Trump had told Iranians that &quot;help is on its way&quot; during anti-government protests in Iran that were met with a deadly crackdown last month. Pezeshkian <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/usiran-meetings-likely-to-take-place-in-turkey-on-feb-6-report" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">confirmed</a> on Tuesday that he had ordered the start of talks with the United States, provided they were free of threats, after Trump suggested &quot;bad things&quot; would happen without a deal. While speaking about Iran, Trump stated in an Oval Office bill signing event on Tuesday, &ldquo;They had a chance to do something a while ago and it didn&#39;t work out, and we did Midnight Hammer.&rdquo;&nbsp;<div class="fr-embed youtube-embed"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Gk6dQV40kfg" title="President Trump Participates in a Bill Signing, Feb. 3, 2026" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="" style="width: 100%; height: auto; aspect-ratio: 16 / 9; max-width: 100%; display: block;"></iframe>&nbsp;</div>Trump also issued an explicit warning that Iran does not want a repeat, stating, &ldquo;I don&#39;t think they want that happening again, but they would like to negotiate.&rdquo;&nbsp; He further emphasized Iran&rsquo;s interest in talks: &ldquo;They&#39;d like to do something and we&#39;ll see if something is going to be done,&rdquo; and, &ldquo;They would like to negotiate.&rdquo;&nbsp; Trump confirmed that negotiations are happening immediately: &ldquo;We are negotiating with them right now.&rdquo;&nbsp; On the question of meeting locations, he declined to disclose details: &ldquo;I can&#39;t tell you that,&rdquo; adding, &ldquo;There really is more than one meeting.&rdquo; Iran has not confirmed where the talks will take place but said Turkey, Oman, and &quot;some other countries in the region&quot; had expressed willingness to host them, adding that the venue and timing were &quot;not a complicated issue.&quot; The Iranian Foreign Ministry says preparations have been completed for holding talks with the United States in the coming days, with consultations continuing on the location of the negotiations, Press TV reported on Tuesday.&nbsp;Remarking on Tuesday, spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said planning had already been carried out and that details on the venue would be announced once finalized. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Witkoff in Jerusalem on Tuesday that Iran &quot;cannot be trusted,&quot; according to a statement from Netanyahu&#39;s office. The US opposes Iran&#39;s nuclear program, which it maintains is a precursor to acquiring nuclear weapons, while Tehran insists it is for civilian research purposes. Washington also wants to curtail Iran&#39;s support for proxy forces in the region and cut its vast arsenal of ballistic missiles. &quot;I have instructed my minister of foreign affairs, provided that a suitable environment exists &mdash; one free from threats and unreasonable expectations &mdash; to pursue fair and equitable negotiations,&quot; Pezeshkian wrote in a post on X.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 435px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2018551561522135352&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fsections%2F&sessionId=53e3d991498758b2d1e48e66f2cb1e47e084317d&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" data-tweet-id="2018551561522135352"></iframe></div></div>Iran has repeatedly stressed that any talks should focus solely on the nuclear issue and not its missile program or defense capabilities. While Trump and Pezeshkian insisted they were dedicated to talks, US and Iranian forces were in action at sea. A US-flagged tanker was challenged on Tuesday by Iranian gunboats in the Strait of Hormuz, US Central Command said. Spokesman Captain Tim Hawkins said two Iranian boats and a drone approached the M/V Stena Imperative, &quot;and threatened to board and seize the tanker.&quot; A US destroyer responded with air support and escorted the tanker onwards. British maritime security firm Vanguard Tech reported that the Stena Imperative was approached by three pairs of small armed boats belonging to the Revolutionary Guards while transiting the strait 16 nautical miles (30 kilometers) north of Oman. The ship increased speed and maintained course, the firm added, stressing it did not enter Iranian waters. But the Iranian news agency Fars said a vessel, whose nationality it did not specify, had entered the country&#39;s territorial waters in the Strait of Hormuz. &quot;It was therefore warned and immediately left Iranian waters,&quot; Fars said.

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln transits through the Arabian Sea on April 5, 2012.

Americas

Downing of the drone is the second clash between the foes after Iranian forces attempted to detain a US-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz; talks are set for Friday, but Trump has refused to rule out military action; his Iranian counterpart Pezeshkian insists talks will only go ahead if they are free of threats.



Articles tagged with "USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft"

US jet downs Iran drone but talks still on course