U.S. shoots down Iranian drone in Arabian Sea: U.S. warship approaches; Iran has already claimed to have developed 1000 drones

The US shot down an Iranian drone in the Arabian Sea on Tuesday. According to the news agency Reuters, Iran's Shahed-139 drone approached the US Navy's 'USS Abraham Lincoln' aircraft carrier. The USS Abraham Lincoln is a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier of the U.S. Navy. It is considered to be one of the largest and most powerful warships in the world. According to a statement from the US Central Command, the US Navy shot down an Iranian drone with an F-35C fighter jet in self-defense. US Central Command called it an "aggressive" behavior by Iran. It is not currently clear for what purpose the drone was deployed. According to the US, the drone did not change its direction despite the non-lethal diffusion efforts made by the command. This led to the use of force. There has been no official reaction from Iran on the incident. However, due to tensions with the United States, Iran said on January 30 that it had prepared 1,000 land and sea attack drones. The incident took place at a time when tensions between the US and Iran have escalated and efforts are underway to resume talks. An important meeting between the two countries is expected to be held in Turkey on Friday. According to some regional officials, US President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff, his son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will attend the meeting. Senior officials from Turkey, Qatar and Egypt are also expected to attend. According to some sources, representatives of other countries like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Pakistan are also likely to participate. On January 28, US President Donald Trump asked Iran to compromise on its nuclear program. If he did not do so, he warned that the next attack on Iran would be far more dangerous than before. According to Trump, a large fleet of US ships is heading towards Iran and if there is no agreement, a bad situation could arise. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has also said that the military is ready for any military order from the president. Last month, there were large-scale protests in Iran, in which thousands of people were killed. Trump then also threatened to intervene. He has also talked about regime change in Iran. Iran's leaders were refusing to negotiate amid the threats. However, now they seem ready to talk. Here, Iranian officials are saying that their nuclear program is only for energy, not weapons. They are ready to consider the proposal from the United States. On January 30, Iran claimed that it had prepared 1,000 drones that could strike from land and sea. Iran's military has claimed that if the United States attacks, its network of drones and missiles can thwart these attacks. Iran's army chief Major General Amir Hatami said the army has changed its military strategy after the 12-day standoff with the United States and Israel in June last year. Under this, a large number of drones have been developed. According to Hatami, these drones can be operated from both land and sea. In addition, Iran already has a large number of ballistic missiles. Iran has said it can launch missiles and drones at US bases in Qatar and Israel as early as June 2025. According to reports, Iran has recently deployed its drone carrier Shahid Bagheri in the sea. The European Union (EU) has declared Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) a terrorist organization. The decision was taken due to the Iranian government's violent crackdown on protests. Sanctions have also been imposed on 15 officers and six organisations, including top commanders of the Revolutionary Guards. This also includes bodies that monitor online content. Their assets in Europe will be confiscated and their travel will be banned. EU diplomat Kaja Klass said the repression could not be ignored. He said that IRGC will now be considered at par with terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda and Islamic State. Australia, Canada and the United States have already designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization. However, Britain has not yet added it to its terrorist list. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the EU's decision a "showdown step" and a "big strategic mistake". He says Europe is escalating tensions instead of handling the situation. The IRGC is considered to be Iran's most powerful military force. It was established after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. It has about 1.90 lakh active soldiers. The United States has strengthened its military presence in the Middle East, deploying the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, USS Theodore Roosevelt and several anti-missile warships in the Arabian Sea and the Red Sea. At the same time, the air force has increased its activity from military bases in Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Jordan. The United States is now in a position to attack Iran's nuclear facilities, military bases and command centers from both sea and air. In his first term (2017-2021), Trump completely pulled the United States out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. The agreement was signed in July 2015 during the Obama administration, which included Iran, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China and the European Union. Under the agreement, Iran imposed several strict limits on its nuclear activities, such as: 30,000 to 40,000 US troops are stationed in the Middle East (CENTCOM) The U.S. military presence in the Middle East (CENTCOM) is currently very strong. About 30,000 to 40,000 U.S. troops are stationed in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf. At present, there are about 6 naval ships present in the Middle East, including 3 Guided Missile Destroyers, capable of ballistic missile defence and other operations.