00:00Good evening, this is World News. Tonight, the Gulf is turning into a live military chessboard.
00:09American fighters intercept Iranian drones. China expands its security umbrella over Tehran.
00:16Russian hardware appears in the Iranian sky. And Iran's proxy network warns Washington,
00:23strike Tehran, and the region burns. We begin at sea, where U.S. forces have already engaged
00:30Iranian aircraft twice in a matter of hours. The confrontation has moved from the rhetoric
00:36to real-time interception. A second Iranian drone has been shot down near the USS Abraham Lincoln
00:43strike group in the Arabian Sea just hours after the first. Tracking data shows the aircraft,
00:49believed to be a Shahid surveillance strike drone, closing in on the carrier before being engaged
00:56by a U.S. Marine F-35 stealth fighter. U.S. Central Command called it self-defense.
01:03Two shoot-downs, one day. The Gulf airspace is now a live trigger zone. Here's what happened.
01:11A second flashpoint in the Arabian Sea. Reports now say the USS Abraham Lincoln
01:18Carrier Strike Group has destroyed another Iranian drone just hours after the first shoot-down.
01:27Official confirmation is still awaited, but the message is already clear.
01:33The skies over the Gulf are turning into a battlefield.
01:39Tracking data suggests the drone, possibly a Shahid 129 or Shahid 136, was returning from a mission
01:47close to the Lincoln's last known position. The intercept reportedly involved a U.S. Marine
01:53F-35C stealth fighter, the same platform used in Tuesday's first takedown.
01:59Two incidents in one day, an extraordinary escalation.
02:05This follows Tuesday's confirmed clash when a Shahid 139 flew toward the carrier with unclear intent.
02:12Central Command says the jet fired in self-defense to protect the ship and its crew.
02:21Iran admitted losing contact with a drone, but stopped short of blaming Washington.
02:27The timing could not be worse. Diplomats are trying to arrange nuclear talks in Oman this week.
02:33President Trump has warned that with U.S. warships moving in, bad things will happen if no deal is reached.
02:42Hours after the shoot-down, another confrontation erupted in the Strait of Hormuz.
02:49The U.S. says revolutionary guard boats harassed an American-flagged merchant vessel,
02:55a reminder that the shadow war at sea is expanding beyond drones.
03:00Yet diplomacy has not collapsed, at least not publicly.
03:08Iranian President Massoud Pezashkian has authorized his foreign minister to proceed with talks,
03:14but only if negotiations are fair and without threats.
03:18The White House insists dialogue will go ahead.
03:22Envoy Steve Witkoff is still expected to meet Iran's Abbas Araqchi later this week,
03:28even as warships, fighters, and missiles circle the region.
03:34Two drones down, warships closing in, talks hanging by a thread.
03:40Whether this becomes a turning point for peace or the opening chapter of a wider war
03:45may be decided in the next 48 hours.
03:56China has drawn a clear line rejecting any joint U.S.-Israeli strike on Iran.
04:03And support isn't just diplomatic.
04:05Joint naval drills with Russia and Iran are planned in the Gulf of Oman.
04:09Chinese cybersecurity teams are replacing Western systems
04:12with closed Chinese networks to shield Tehran from cyberwarfare.
04:18And intelligence and missile defense assistance is reportedly expanding.
04:23Here's the bigger picture.
04:24Is something big being planned in the Arabian Sea?
04:28A U.S. aircraft carrier, an Iranian drone shot down,
04:34and a Chinese research ship quietly watching from nearby waters.
04:39Coincidence?
04:40Or pieces of a much larger puzzle?
04:42The USS Abraham Lincoln, a massive Nimitz-class aircraft carrier,
04:49is currently operating about 500 miles from Iran's southern coast.
04:53Its mission?
04:54Deterrence.
04:55The timing?
04:56Critical.
04:58Tensions with Iran are rising over nuclear negotiations,
05:02regional power, and direct threats in the Middle East.
05:05But the carrier isn't alone.
05:07Since late December, a Chinese vessel, the Dayong Yihau,
05:12officially labeled an oceanographic research ship,
05:15has been operating in the same general area.
05:18China says it's conducting civilian research.
05:21Analysts say not so fast.
05:24Western observers believe ships like this are dual-use,
05:28capable of collecting signals intelligence,
05:31monitoring radar, and tracking naval movements.
05:33Open-source data places it near the Abraham Lincoln strike group.
05:38Some describe it as shadowing the carrier.
05:41And then, things escalated.
05:44On February 3rd, U.S. forces detected an Iranian Shahed 139 drone
05:50approaching the Abraham Lincoln.
05:52The drone ignored warnings.
05:54Its intent was unclear, but its movement was described as aggressive.
05:58A U.S. Navy F-35C fighter jet took off
06:02and shot it down in international airspace.
06:05No damage, no casualties, but the message was unmistakable.
06:10So here's the question everyone's asking.
06:13Was this all connected?
06:14There's no official proof that China is assisting Iran militarily in this moment.
06:20U.S. officials haven't confirmed it, but the timing is interesting.
06:24A Chinese intelligence-capable ship nearby,
06:28an Iranian drone probing a U.S. carrier,
06:31and ongoing threats in the Strait of Hormuz just hours later.
06:35To some analysts, this looks like testing behavior,
06:38probing defenses, gathering data, watching responses.
06:42Not an attack, but preparation.
06:44Others say this is standard great power posturing.
06:48China watches.
06:49Iran pushes boundaries.
06:51The U.S. responds.
06:52No secret alliance, just parallel pressure.
06:55But in a region where one miscalculation can spark a war,
06:59even observation can be dangerous.
07:02So is Iran planning something bigger?
07:04Is China just watching or quietly learning?
07:07Or is this simply the new normal in an increasingly crowded battlefield at sea?
07:12One thing is certain.
07:14The Arabian Sea is no longer calm water,
07:17and the next move may already be in motion.
07:22Now, Iran's allied militias are issuing direct warnings to Washington.
07:33Hezbollah, Yemen's Saudi movement,
07:36and Iraq's Qatayb Hezbollah say any strike on Tehran will ignite the region.
07:42Hezbollah's chief, Naim Qasim, calls it a red line.
07:45Iran's leadership promises an all-out response.
07:50So this is no longer a bilateral standoff between Iran and United States.
07:56Here's the full report.
07:57A new front is opening in the Middle East standoff.
08:02Anti-Hufi forces have warned Washington that Yemen's Houthis plan to attack American ships
08:08if the U.S. retaliates against Iran.
08:11The message is blunt.
08:13Any strike on Tehran could ignite the Red Sea and the Gulf in minutes.
08:18The threat comes at the most dangerous moment in years.
08:22On Tuesday, a U.S. F-35C jet shot down an Iranian drone approaching the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.
08:32It was the second clash at sea in a single day, proof that confrontation is no longer theoretical.
08:40Hours later, Iranian forces tried to detain a U.S. flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.
08:45Washington called it harassment.
08:48Tehran called it routine.
08:51Either way, the region is one miscalculation away from open war.
08:56Despite the gunfire, diplomacy limps on.
08:59White House officials say Envoy Steve Whitcoff will still meet Iranian representatives this week.
09:06But President Trump warns that without a deal, bad things will happen.
09:11Iran insists talks must be free of threats.
09:15President Massad Pazeshkian has authorized negotiations, but only on the nuclear file, not missiles or regional allies.
09:24Washington wants far more.
09:26Limits on Iran's arsenal and its proxy network.
09:30Last summer, the United States bombed Iranian nuclear sites.
09:34Now a carrier strike group is back in the Arabian Sea, armed with tomahawks and stealth fighters.
09:41To Iran's allies, from Hezbollah to the Houthis, that looks like preparation, not deterrence.
09:48The Houthis say any U.S. attack on Iran will be answered at sea.
09:53Iran says its forces are ready to strike American bases.
09:57The U.S. says it will defend its ships.
10:00Talks may begin Friday, but the guns are already loaded.
10:04Whether diplomacy outruns escalation will decide if the Middle East tips into a wider war.
10:12New video appears to show a Mi-28NE havoc attack helicopter flying over Tehran.
10:19The aircraft is Russian-made, built for close-air combat and battlefield support.
10:25Images last week suggested deliveries had already begun.
10:28If confirmed, it signals more than hardware.
10:32It suggests Moscow is actively strengthening Iran's combat capability
10:37at a moment of peak tensions with the United States.
10:41Here are the details.
10:43A secret channel opens between Tehran and Moscow.
10:48Iran's top security official Ali Larajani has reportedly delivered a confidential message
10:54from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei directly to President Vladimir Putin.
11:00The meeting in Moscow comes at a critical moment,
11:03as Tehran edges toward nuclear talks with Washington.
11:07What Iran told Russia could shape the next Middle East deal, or the next confrontation.
11:13Sources say Iran signaled it may transfer enriched uranium to Russia,
11:19echoing the model of the 2015 nuclear agreement.
11:22Tehran is reportedly willing to suspend parts of its nuclear program
11:26if sanctions pressure eases and security guarantees follow.
11:31But Iran prefers a regional consortium for enrichment, not direct U.S. control.
11:37Upcoming talks in Istanbul are expected to run on two tracks,
11:42the nuclear file and Iran's missile program.
11:45Publicly, Tehran denies missiles are negotiable.
11:48Privately, diplomats say the issue could still reach the table.
11:52U.S. Envoy Steve Whitcoff and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Aragachi are set to lead the engagement.
12:00Iranian President Masoud Pezashkian has now ordered preparations for direct negotiations with the United States.
12:08The condition? A non-threatening atmosphere.
12:11This marks a sharp turn after Supreme Leader Khamenei warned that any American attack would ignite a regional war.
12:19President Trump says he still hopes for a deal, despite moving warships near Iran.
12:25If we don't make a deal, we'll find out, Trump told reporters after Khamenei's warning.
12:31Washington wants strict nuclear limits.
12:33Tehran wants sanctions relief and respect.
12:37Foreign Minister Aragachi says Trump may be wise enough to choose diplomacy,
12:41but admits Iran no longer trusts the U.S.
12:45Regional mediators are trying to rebuild that confidence, yet both sides fear miscalculation.
12:52That is why the message to Putin matters.
12:55Moscow remains Iran's key security partner and potential guarantor.
13:00Putin could hold Iran's enriched stockpile, monitor compliance, and shield Tehran from total isolation.
13:08For Putin, this is leverage over both Washington and the Middle East.
13:12The secret note from Khamenei may be Iran's blueprint for survival,
13:17and its insurance policy if talks with America collapse.
13:20A message delivered in secrecy, talks planned in Istanbul, warships waiting offshore.
13:28Iran is negotiating with Washington, but speaking just as carefully to Moscow.
13:34The next move from Putin could decide whether this story ends with signatures or sirens.
13:39So, American carriers on alert, Iranian drones intercepted, China reinforcing,
13:47proxies mobilizing.
13:49This isn't posturing anymore.
13:51It's positioning for possibility.
13:53The region is balanced on deterrence.
13:56We will track every move.
13:58You are watching World News.
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