LONDON, February 3. /TASS/. The US military shot down an Iranian drone that was flying toward the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, Reuters reported, citing an unnamed US official.

According to the official, the Shahed-139 drone was taken down by an F-35 fighter jet.

The agency reported earlier, citing a US official, that in another incident, unidentified boats had approached the US-flagged Stena Imperative in the Strait of Hormuz north of Oman. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Coordination Center (UKMTO) said early on Tuesday that an unnamed vessel was contacted by several small armed boats 16 miles north of Oman. The vessel ignored the demand to stop and continued its movement. No further details were given.

According to The Wall Street Journal, which cited the Vanguard Tech company specializing in maritime security, six Iranian artillery boats approached a tanker and demanded it shut off its engines. The captain ignored the demand, increased speed and soon was under the protection of an American ship.

Trump said on January 26 that a "massive armada" was heading toward Iran. He expressed hope that Tehran would return to the negotiating table and conclude a "fair and equitable" deal, implying a complete renunciation of nuclear weapons. In response, Tehran warned that any attack on Iran will entail threats to the United States and its allies’ entire military infrastructure in the Middle East. According to the Axios portal, which cited its sources, US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Istanbul on February 6.