U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed on Tuesday that a U.S. Navy F-35C Lightning II fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone in the Arabian Sea. The engagement occurred approximately 500 miles from the southern coast of Iran as the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) approached the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72).

The Middle East is on a knife-edge. In a move that has sent shockwaves from Washington to Israel, Iran has officially thrown down its "nuclear armour". Senior advisor Ali Shamkhani just declared a total ban on transferring Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile abroad, effectively killing a Russian-brokered deal before it even began. With 60&#37 enriched uranium sitting on Iranian soil, the "Nuclear Red Line" has been drawn. While the US and Israel demand the total removal of these materials, Tehran is signaling a different path; a conditional reduction to 20&#37 enrichment, but only if the West blinks first. WATCH