U.S. tanker was earlier harassed by Iranian small boats, Central Command said.

A defense official said the drone's intent was unclear. It was shot down after it "unnecessarily maneuvered" toward the carrier.

The US military shot down an Iranian Shahed-139 drone after it approached an aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Tuesday.

The destroyer departed from Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, for what the service called a scheduled deployment.

The US military accused Iran of "unnecessary aggression" after shooting down an Iranian drone near the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea and IRGC vessels approached a US-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz ahead of US-Iran talks later this week.

Iranian gunboats unsuccessfully attempted to intercept a US oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday before a US Navy vessel intervened, reports say.

The US Navy’s aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its escort ships have been moved toward the Middle East in response to rising tensions with Tehran, underlining the classic contest between an “armada” that projects conventional power and a “swarm” of lower-cost asymmetric options Iran favours.