New Delhi, Feb. 4 -- A US stealth warplane shot down an Iranian drone that "aggressively" approached an American aircraft carrier as it sailed in the Arabian Sea on Tuesday, a US military spokesman said.

The incident occurred with the carrier about 500 miles (800 kilometers) from Iran's coast, and came on the same day that American forces responded to Iranian boats that threatened to board a US-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.

"An F-35C fighter jet from Abraham Lincoln shot down the Iranian drone in self-defense and to protect the aircraft carrier and personnel on board," US Central Command spokesman Captain Tim Hawkins said in a statement.

The shootdown took place after the Shahed-139 drone "continued to fly toward the ship des...