Overview
- U.S. Central Command said an F-35C launched from the USS Abraham Lincoln shot down an approaching Iranian Shahed-139 about 500 miles south of Iran, with no U.S. injuries or damage reported.
- Hours later, IRGC fast boats and a Mohajer drone threatened to board the U.S.-flagged M/V Stena Imperative in the Strait of Hormuz before the destroyer USS McFaul escorted the vessel with U.S. air cover.
- U.S. officials described both actions as defensive and said the incidents occurred in international waters.
- Iran’s Fars news agency asserted the merchant ship had entered Iranian waters, underscoring a dispute over the encounter.
- White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said U.S.–Iran talks remain scheduled for this week, with reporting indicating Istanbul or Oman as potential venues.