An American fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone approaching a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Middle East on Tuesday, the White House administration stated, according to LETA citing AFP.
Despite this incident, U.S. special envoy Steve Whitcoff still expects "negotiations with representatives of Iran at the end of this week," said White House press secretary Caroline Levitt to Fox News.
The downing of the drone marked the second confrontation between the two countries in Middle Eastern waters on the same day. It occurred after Iranian forces attempted to detain a tanker flying the U.S. flag in the Strait of Hormuz.
Washington and Tehran agreed to negotiations after U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened Iran with military action, while Iran warned that it would respond with strikes against American warships and bases.
Last summer, the U.S. bombed Iranian nuclear facilities and has now sent a naval strike group to the region following Tehran's deadly crackdown on protesters.
Negotiations are scheduled for Friday, but Trump has refused to rule out the possibility of military action. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian insists that negotiations will only take place if they are conducted without threats.
"An F-35C fighter jet from the aircraft carrier 'Abraham Lincoln' shot down an Iranian drone in self-defense," said U.S. Central Command spokesman Tim Hawkins.
The U.S. aircraft carrier 'Abraham Lincoln' was deployed to the Arabian Sea in January when the U.S. bolstered its forces in the region.
