In a recent incident, a US F-35 fighter jet intercepted and shot down an Iranian Shahed-139 drone that was approaching an aircraft carrier with “unclear intent.” The drone was targeted in a defensive maneuver to safeguard the carrier and its crew, according to Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, spokesperson for the US Central Command.

Meanwhile, on the same day, a separate confrontation unfolded in the Strait of Hormuz. Forces from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reportedly harassed a US-flagged merchant ship. Hawkins detailed that two IRGC boats, accompanied by an Iranian Mohajer drone, aggressively approached the vessel, identified as M/V Stena Imperative, at high speed, posing a threat of boarding and seizure.

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“Two IRGC boats and an Iranian Mohajer drone approached M/V Stena Imperative at high speeds and threatened to board and seize the tanker,” Hawkins said.

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