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21:10 GMT
WASHINGTON, Feb 3 (KUNA) -- The US forces operating in the international waters in the Arabian Sea shot down an Iranian unmanned aerial vehicle on Tuesday after it approached a US Navy aircraft carrier.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) "did make the decision to shoot down that Iranian drone. It was unmanned, it was acting aggressively towards our USS Lincoln," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News.
"As for the president (Donald Trump), he remains committed to always pursuing diplomacy first. But in order for diplomacy to work, of course, it takes two to tango. You need a willing partner to engage, and so that's something the President and Special Envoy Witkoff are exploring and discussing right now," she said.
"A special envoy Witkoff is set to have conversations with the Iranians later this week.
"Those are still scheduled as of right now, but of course, the President has always a range of options on the table, and that includes the use of military force.
"The Iranians know that better than anyone. Just look no further than the highly successful operation midnight hammer, which took not just Iran but the entire world by surprise and completely obliterated their nuclear capabilities earlier last year," she added.
On his part, CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins confirmed the Iranian drone had "aggressively approached a US Navy aircraft carrier with unclear intent."
"USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) was transiting the Arabian Sea approximately 500 miles from Iran's southern coast when an Iranian Shahed-139 drone unnecessarily maneuvered toward the ship," Hawkins added.
"The Iranian drone continued to fly toward the ship despite de-escalatory measures taken by US forces operating in international waters," Fox News quoted a CENTCOM statement as saying.
An F-35C fighter jet from Abraham Lincoln shot down the Iranian drone in self-defense and to protect the aircraft carrier and personnel on board," it added. (end)
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