Rising Tensions in the Middle East Ahead of High-Level Talks
As the United States and Iran prepare for high-level talks, tensions in the Middle East are rising again after U.S. forces shot down an Iranian drone and Iranian forces threatened a U.S. oil tanker. However, the U.S.-Iran high-level meeting scheduled for the 6th (local time) is expected to proceed as planned.
On the 3rd, U.S. Central Command announced that it had shot down an Iranian drone that was aggressively approaching the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea.
According to the statement, the USS Abraham Lincoln was sailing in waters about 500 miles (800 km) off the southern coast of Iran at the time.
The drone, which was shot down by a U.S. F-35 fighter jet, was identified as an Iranian Shahed-139. The U.S. military said it was flying toward the aircraft carrier with an "unclear intent." There were no casualties among U.S. troops and no damage to U.S. equipment.
U.S. Central Command stated that after the drone was shot down, an incident occurred in which forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) threatened a U.S.-flagged vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. It said that two IRGC vessels and one Iranian Mohajer drone rapidly approached the oil tanker Stena Imperative and threatened to board and seize it. In response, a U.S. destroyer was dispatched to escort the tanker.
Tensions between the United States and Iran have been rising again since anti-government protests broke out in Iran in December last year. Seizing on the protests, the Trump administration deployed military assets to the Middle East early last month and has been demanding that Iran resume nuclear negotiations. The United States has left the door open to a diplomatic agreement, but has also taken a hard-line stance by making clear that it does not rule out the use of force if necessary.
President Trump said at the White House the previous day, when asked about the possibility of military action, "I cannot say what we will do," adding, "We will see what happens."
The previous day, reports emerged that Iran had agreed to talks and that U.S. presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi were scheduled to meet in T?rkiye on the 6th. If this meeting takes place, it will be the first high-level talks since the United States carried out the "Midnight Hammer" operation, a surprise strike on Iranian nuclear facilities in June last year.
That day, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt was asked by reporters about the impact of the drone shootdown on the talks and said, "The talks with Iran will proceed as scheduled." She added, "President Trump always prioritizes diplomacy, but diplomacy requires cooperation from both sides. For diplomacy to succeed, you need a partner who is willing to engage, and Envoy Witkoff is seeking and discussing that in the high-level talks with Iran."
She went on to say, "Of course, as commander-in-chief, the president has various options on the table regarding Iran," and added, "I think Iran clearly understood that through the airstrikes carried out in the 'Midnight Hammer' operation."
Meanwhile, when asked how President Trump reacted to Russia resuming its attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities, which had been temporarily halted at his request to refrain from winter offensives, Leavitt replied that he was "not surprised."
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