Iran’s supreme leader warns of regional conflict if US attacks on Iran
Iranian leaders warned on Sunday (February 1) of a regional conflict if the United States attacked Iran, and designated EU forces as a “terrorist group” in retaliation. Diane To reports.
In an incident first reported by Reuters, the US military said on February 3 that it shot down an Iranian drone that approached the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in an “aggressive” manner in the Arabian Sea.
Iran’s Shahed 139 drone flew towards an aircraft carrier with “unclear intentions” and was shot down by a US F-35 fighter jet, Iran said.
“An Abraham Lincoln F-35C fighter jet shot down the Iranian drone in self-defense and to protect the aircraft carrier and its crew,” said Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command.
He added that no U.S. military personnel were injured and no U.S. military equipment was damaged in the incident.
The incident comes as diplomats seek to arrange nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States, with US President Donald Trump warning that “bad things” are likely to happen if a deal is not reached as US warships head towards Iran.
The Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is the most visible part of the U.S. military buildup in the Middle East following last month’s violent crackdown on anti-government protests, the worst domestic unrest since Iran’s 1979 revolution.
Although he did not threaten to intervene during the crackdown, President Trump has since demanded nuclear concessions from Iran and sent a platoon to Iran’s coast. He said last week that Iran was “in serious talks”, while Tehran’s top security official, Ali Larijani, said negotiations were underway.
U.S. Central Command on Tuesday announced another incident hours later in which Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps troops harassed a U.S.-flagged commercial vessel with a U.S. crew in the Strait of Hormuz.
“Two IRGC boats and an Iranian Mohajar drone approached the M/V Stena Imperative at high speed and threatened to board the tanker and seize it,” Hawkins said.
