US shoots down Iranian drone approaching aircraft carrier 'Abraham Lincoln'

WashingtonThe United States shot down an Iranian drone on Tuesday that approached the aircraft carrier in an "aggressive" manner. Abraham Lincoln, deployed to the Strait of Hormuz to exert military pressure on the ayatollahs' regime. According to White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, it was a Shahed-139 model flying aggressively toward the aircraft carrier and was shot down by a U.S. F-35 fighter jet. Leavitt told Fox News that the planned meeting between Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and the Iranians is still on, but that all options remain open, including military action. "These meetings are still scheduled for now, but, of course, the president always has several options on the table, which includes the use of military force," she stated.

The incident represents a further escalation of tensions after Washington raised the stakes by sending a fleet to the region, led by the aircraft carrier.USS Abraham LincolnThe same mobilization that took place for the maritime blockade of Venezuela. Trump has been pressuring the regime for weeks to reach an agreement on the Iranian nuclear program.

The event comes just as the President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, had announced today the start of negotiations with the US on the nuclear issue. "I have instructed my Foreign Minister that, provided there is a suitable environment – ​​free from threats and unreasonable expectations – he should seek fair and equitable negotiations, guided by the principles of dignity, prudence, and self-interest," the leader told X, and detailed that they were "were carried out."

The Iranian response, therefore, represents a shift in its position. Until now, they had made it clear that they would not negotiate while under threat, and had promised to respond in the event of a US attack.

Several US media outlets, including the New York TimesSources indicate that a meeting between Washington and Tehran will take place in Istanbul this Friday with the aim of reducing tensions and negotiating a nuclear agreement. The US delegation will be headed by the White House's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner; in addition to a group of high-ranking officials from Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt, according to the newspaper. This would be the first contact between representatives of Washington and Tehran since negotiations broke down in June of last year, following the start of the war initiated by Israel against Iran, in which the United States participated by bombing three Iranian nuclear facilities.

After weeks of threatening to bomb Iran under the pretext of the Islamic Republic's crackdown on mass protests in the country, Trump admitted that his target was the Iranian nuclear program: his demands include that Tehran agree to end its program to support regional militias.

The context for negotiations, if they ultimately take place, will not be neutral. The United States has deployed the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, the same one that was mobilized for the maritime siege of Venezuela, and three guided-missile destroyers, accompanied by thousands of additional soldiers, near Iranian waters in the Persian Gulf.