US military says it shot down an Iranian drone in Arabian Sea

Al JazeeraCenterEN 2 min read 100% complete by Al Jazeera StaffFebruary 3, 2026 at 06:56 PM

AI Summary

medium article 2 min

On February 3, 2026, the US military announced that it shot down an Iranian drone in the Arabian Sea. According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), the Shahed-139 drone approached the USS Abraham Lincoln with "unclear intent" and was shot down by an F-35C fighter jet in self-defense. CENTCOM stated the USS Abraham Lincoln was operating in international waters, approximately 800km from Iran's coast, and that the drone continued its approach despite de-escalatory measures. The incident occurred amid recent efforts to ease tensions between the US and Iran, including President Pezeshkian instructing Iran's foreign minister to pursue negotiations with the US. There was no immediate comment from Iranian authorities regarding the incident.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Tehran ×230% Masoud Pezeshkian 40% Donald Trump 40% Shahed-139 50% F-35C 50% Tim Hawkins 60% Arabian Sea 70% USS Abraham Lincoln ×470% CENTCOM ×380% Iranian ×680% United States ×690%

Keywords

iranian drone 90% iran 80% us military 80% arabian sea 70% shot down 70% united states 70% uss abraham lincoln 70% tensions 60% de-escalatory measures 50% self-defense 50%