US Central Command spokesperson Hawkins said on the 3rd that the US military shot down an Iranian drone in the Arabian Sea that day, claiming the drone was approaching the US Navy’s USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in a 'provocative' manner. On the same day, the US military also escorted an American oil tanker that was being approached by Iranian vessels.
In a statement, he said that the USS Abraham Lincoln was sailing in the Arabian Sea, about 500 miles (805 kilometers) from Iran’s southern coast. Approaching the aircraft carrier was an Iranian Shahed-139 drone.
He said the US military took 'de-escalatory' measures, but the Iranian drone continued flying toward the carrier. An F-35C stealth fighter from the USS Abraham Lincoln shot down the Iranian drone.
White House Press Secretary Leavitt later confirmed in an interview with Fox News that the US military shot down an Iranian drone, but also stated that the scheduled 'dialogue' between the US President’s special envoy and the Iranian side later this week remained unchanged.
Hawkins said that several hours after the drone incident, two Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vessels and an Iranian drone rapidly approached an oil tanker flying the US flag and manned by an American crew in the Strait of Hormuz, and threatened to board and seize the vessel.
He stated that the US destroyer USS McFaul, which was performing missions in the area, immediately rushed to the scene and, with support from the US Air Force, escorted the oil tanker. “The situation was thus de-escalated, and the oil tanker is now sailing safely.”
Images transmitted by the drone
Meanwhile, an Iranian source told Iran’s Tasnim News Agency on the 3rd that an Iranian drone lost contact while performing a routine, legal reconnaissance mission in international waters that day, but it had successfully transmitted back captured images.
The source said that an Iranian Shahed-129 drone on that day was carrying out routine, legal duties such as reconnaissance, surveillance, and photography in international waters, transmitted relevant images back to the command center, but subsequently lost contact.
Warning to a vessel illegally entering territorial waters
In addition, on the 3rd, Iranian officials told Iran’s Fars News Agency that a vessel illegally entered Iranian territorial waters in the Strait of Hormuz that afternoon. Iranian supervision teams confirmed the vessel did not possess the necessary navigation permits and issued a warning, after which the vessel immediately left.
The Iranian officials stated that the teams required the vessel to produce navigation permits, but it had none, and after receiving the Iranian warning, it immediately departed Iranian territorial waters.
Iranian officials declared that claims by a British maritime security company of a “security incident” in the Strait of Hormuz were untrue.
Earlier on the 3rd, UK maritime security company Ambrey and some other sources said that an American oil tanker ignored warnings to stop in the Strait of Hormuz that afternoon and was surrounded by several armed speedboats for a time.
British media reported that the oil tanker was escorted by a US warship and did not enter Iranian territorial waters.