As prospects for nuclear negotiations were overshadowed by fresh tensions on the high seas, a US fighter plane shot down an Iranian drone that was approaching an American aircraft carrier in the Middle East on Tuesday, according to Washington.
Despite the incident, US ambassador Steve Witkoff is still anticipated “to have conversations with the Iranians late this week,” according to White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, who spoke to Fox News.
After Iranian forces tried to stop a US-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, the drone’s downing marked the second conflict between the adversaries in Middle Eastern waters that day.
Following repeated threats of military action by US President Donald Trump on Iran, which Iran responded with strikes on US ships and bases, Washington and Tehran have agreed to have talks.
Since Tehran’s brutal crackdown on anti-government protests, the United States has sent a navy battlegroup to the region and struck Iran’s nuclear sites last summer.
Although discussions are now scheduled for Friday, Trump has not ruled out military action, and Masoud Pezeshkian, his Iranian counterpart, has insisted that talks will only proceed if there are no threats.
In a statement, Central Command spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins said, “An Abraham Lincoln F-35C fighter jet shot down the Iranian drone in self-defense.”
In the midst of an increase in US forces, the aircraft carrier was sent to the Arabian Sea last month.
“Bad things”: During anti-government demonstrations in Iran last month that resulted in a violent crackdown, Trump assured Iranians that “help is on its way.”
Following Trump’s suggestion that “bad things” will occur in the absence of an agreement, Pezeshkian said on Tuesday that he had ordered the beginning of discussions with the United States, provided they were devoid of threats.
The location and date of the discussions was “not a complicated issue,” Iran claimed, adding that Turkey, Oman, and “some other countries in the region” had shown their willingness to host them.
According to a statement from Netanyahu’s office, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Witkoff in Jerusalem on Tuesday that Iran “cannot be trusted.”
Iran says that its nuclear program is for civilian study, while the US opposes it, claiming it is a step toward obtaining nuclear weapons.
Washington also wants to reduce Iran’s massive ballistic missile stockpile and its support for proxy groups in the area.
Pezeshkian stated in a post on X, “I have instructed my minister of foreign affairs to pursue fair and equitable negotiations, provided that a suitable environment exists — one free from threats and unreasonable expectations.”
Iran has frequently emphasized that discussions should only address the nuclear issue, not its defense capabilities or missile program.
US and Iranian military were active at sea while Trump and Pezeshkian maintained their commitment to negotiations.
Iranian gunboats confronted a US-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, according to US Central Command.
The M/V Stena Imperative was approached by two Iranian boats and a drone, according to spokesman Captain Tim Hawkins, “and threatened to board and seize the tanker.”
Three pairs of Revolutionary Guards small armed boats approached the Stena Imperative while it was crossing the strait 16 nautical miles (30 kilometers) north of Oman, according to British maritime security firm Vanguard Tech.
The company further emphasized that the ship did not enter Iranian seas, adding that it accelerated and stayed on route.
However, the Iranian news agency Fars said that a ship, whose nationality it did not identify, had crossed the Strait of Hormuz and entered Iranian territorial waters.
According to Fars, “it was warned and immediately left Iranian waters.”
In December, protests against the rising cost of living began in Tehran and spread across the country, leading to a fatal crackdown by the authorities. Thousands were arrested during these protests.
Iranian officials have admitted that over 3,000 people died during the riots, but they maintain that the majority were innocent bystanders and members of the security forces, blaming the bloodshed on “terrorist acts.”
Other rights organizations warn the number is much higher, but the US-based NGO Human Rights Activists News Agency says it has recorded 6,872 deaths, primarily protestors slain by security forces.
According to the NGO, at least 50,553 arrests connected to the protests have been made, and more are still being held as of Tuesday.
Iranian authorities claim that Israel and the United States incited the “riots.”
