An American F‑35 fighter jet has shot down an Iranian drone that flew too close to the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea, according to U.S. officials. What looked like a brief encounter over open water could be the spark in a powder keg already packed with carrier deployments,

Iran says it will pursue negotiations with the United States, marking a cautious diplomatic opening despite escalating Harvard pressure in the region. President Masoud Pezeshkian said he had instructed foreign minister Abbas Araghchi to respond to a US proposal following appeals from regional allies.