The Iranian drone downed by U.S. forces over the Arabian Sea was reportedly on a surveillance mission that was both routine and legal, according to Iranian media reports.
The Tasnim News Agency, known for its connections to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported on Wednesday that the drone, controlled by the IRGC, had successfully relayed reconnaissance images to its command center before losing communication.
The report emphasized that the drone was engaged in its regular surveillance and imaging activities over international waters, following lawful procedures.
The U.S. military, however, had taken down the unmanned Iranian drone on Tuesday after it “aggressively approached a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier with unclear intent,” as a spokesman for the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) previously told Fox News.
In the image, the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, is stationed at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, California, on August 11, 2025. (Mike Blake/Reuters)
Captain Tim Hawkins further explained that the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) was navigating the Arabian Sea about 500 miles from Iran’s southern coastline when an Iranian Shahed-139 drone made an unnecessary approach towards the ship.
“The Iranian drone continued to fly toward the ship despite de-escalatory measures taken by U.S. forces operating in international waters,” CENTCOM also said. “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.”
USS Abraham Lincoln sails in the Pacific Ocean in this photo released in August 2024. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Daniel Kimmelman)
Hawkins said no U.S. service members were injured and no U.S. equipment was damaged during the incident.
USS Abraham Lincoln is in the Middle East after President Donald Trump said last week that, “A massive Armada is heading to Iran.”
An F/A-18F Super Hornet, assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 41, prepares to make an arrested landing on the flight deck of USS Abraham Lincoln in the Pacific Ocean on Aug. 10, 2024. (U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Daniel Kimmelman/Reuters)
Hawkins also told Fox News on Tuesday that, “During a separate incident hours later in the Strait of Hormuz, IRGC forces harassed a U.S.-flagged, U.S.-crewed merchant vessel lawfully transiting the international sea passage.”
