CENTCOM confirmed that a U.S. F-35C Lightning II fighter jet successfully intercepted and shot down an Iranian Shahed drone that was making an aggressive approach toward the USS Abraham Lincoln. This incident occurred amid heightened tensions, including threats from Iranian gunboats against a U.S.-flagged tanker in the Persian Gulf.
James Kaufman will do the report today.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is an F-35C
that actually took off to intercept an Iranian drone
headed towards the USS Abraham Lincoln in a successful counter-strike.
You're seeing the actual footage.
This is incredible.
We're going to show you a little bit more.
So, CENTCOM has not released the radar yet, but this was the takeoff.
It's an F-35 Lightning C.
I don't think I've ever even heard of one,
but we'll go with that, right?
Because that's what they're calling it here.
All right, this F-35 Lightning II C shot
down the Shahed Iranian drone here,
And it was a successful counterattack
Go ahead and go into it right now
Again, the drone was headed to, well, break out
To hit the USS Abraham Lincoln
This flight deck is on the Abraham Lincoln
Amazing they have enough time to take off
And film it and still take the drone out
And put it all back in the shop for your enjoyment, right?
It is amazing.
All right, back to the talking heads.
In D.C., including Ms. Leavitt,
CENTCOM did make the decision to shoot down an Iranian drone.
It was unmanned.
It was acting aggressively towards the USS Abraham Lincoln.
I'll say it actually turned out to make a deadly pass.
But we've got some breaking news.
The breaking news is that CENTCOM confirms that a U.S. F-35
fighter jet shot down an Iranian Shahed drone that was making
an aggressive approach toward the USS Abraham Lincoln.
This on the same day that a couple of Iranian gunboats were threatening
a U.S. flagged tanker in the Gulf of the Persian Gulf,
threatening to board it.
So what is going on, to the best of your knowledge,
and what is the president going to do about what appear
to be some threatening moves being made by Iran,
even as Steve Witkoff prepares to meet with the foreign minister,
Araghchi, either in Oman or Turkey on Friday?
Well, sure, John, and thank you for having me today.
I did speak with folks over at the Pentagon this morning
who said that CENTCOM acted both appropriately and necessarily
to protect our U.S. personnel and equipment in the region.
So CENTCOM did make the decision to shoot down that Iranian drone.
It was unmanned. It was acting aggressively towards our USS Lincoln,
which we know that aircraft carrier is in the region
at the direction of President Trump.
As for the president,
he remains committed to always pursuing diplomacy first.
But in order for diplomacy to work, of course, it takes two to tango.
You need a willing partner to engage.
And so that's something the president
and Special Envoy Witkoff are exploring and discussing right now.
Special Envoy Witkoff is set to have conversations
with the Iranians later this week.
Those are still scheduled as of right now.
But, of course, the president has always a range of options
on the table, and that includes the use of military force.
the Iranians know that better than anyone.
Just look no further than the highly successful
Operation Midnight Hammer, which took not just Iran,
but the entire world by surprise
and completely obliterated
their nuclear capabilities earlier last year.
Disagree, disagree, disagree,
but we'll continue.
