A U.S. Navy fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone that was approaching the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea, U.S. Central Command said Tuesday, threatening to ramp up tensions as the Trump administration warns of possible military action to get Iran to the negotiating table.

Iran's drone carrier, the Shahid Bagheri, has been stationed in the Persian Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz as a direct response to US naval presence in the region

With Russian ground troops bogged down in a grinding war of attrition, Moscow is striving to press home its advantage in the skies – through an ever-evolving army of drones, courtesy of Iran. In early January,

Iran is reportedly sitting on a staggering stockpile of up to 80,000 Shahed drones, according to Defence Security Asia, signaling a major shift toward industrial-scale drone attrition warfare. Analysts warn Iran’s factories may be producing as many as 400 Shahed drones per day,