US shoots down Iranian drone near Strait of Hormuz as tensions escalate

WASHINGTON – A U.S. fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone in the Arabian Sea on Tuesday after the aircraft made an "aggressive" approach toward the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, U.S. Central Command confirmed.

The Shahed-139 drone was destroyed by an F-35 after ignoring multiple de-escalation measures, according to CENTCOM spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins. No U.S. personnel were injured during the encounter.

Hours later, CENTCOM reported that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps harassed a U.S.-flagged oil tanker, the Stena Imperative, as it transited the Strait of Hormuz. Two Iranian military vessels and a drone reportedly approached the tanker at high speeds and threatened to board the ship.

The destroyer USS McCaul responded to the scene to escort the tanker.

Hawkins stated that Iran’s aggressive behavior increases the risk of miscalculation and regional instability. The incidents occurred amid a period of heightened U.S. military presence near Iran.

Escalating tensions in the Arabian Sea and the Strait of Hormuz are not isolated incidents but represent a clear manifestation of the Trump administration's "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran. The deployment of a massive naval task force, combined with decisive military actions—including the downing of Iranian drones—signals that Washington is leveraging its military posture to enforce two specific mandates: Iran must never acquire nuclear weapons and must cease its suppression of domestic dissent.

However, this strategy carries a high risk of geopolitical miscalculation. The Strait of Hormuz functions as the world's most critical energy chokepoint, through which approximately 20% of global petroleum passes daily. Any military confrontation, even an inadvertent one, threatens to disrupt these vital shipping lanes, potentially triggering an immediate and systemic shock to global energy markets.

For an economy like Vietnam’s, which is increasingly integrated into global trade and reliant on energy imports, the secondary effects would be acute. A spike in crude oil prices would lead to a surge in production and transportation costs, fueling inflationary pressures and weighing on overall economic growth. While Hanoi is not a direct participant in the U.S.-Iran standoff, Vietnam’s macroeconomic stability remains highly vulnerable to volatility in this distant but strategically vital energy corridor.

Potential conflict in the Middle East could send gas prices soaring across the United States, dealing a direct blow to Vietnamese-American small businesses. From the nail salon industry to phở restaurants and delivery services, many in our community operate on razor-thin profit margins and are uniquely vulnerable to rising overhead and transportation costs.