White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told FNC’s “America Reports” on Tuesday that the U.S. is still making attempts to negotiate with Iran and confirms that the USS Lincoln aircraft carrier just shot down an Iranian drone that got too close to it.

FOX NEWS: We have some breaking news. The breaking news is CENTCOM confirmed that a U.S. F-35 fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone making an aggressive approach toward the USS Abraham Lincoln. This on the same day that a couple of gunboats were threatening a U.S.-flagged tanker in the Persian Gulf, threatening to board it. So what is going on, to the best of your knowledge, and what will the president do about what appear to be threatening moves made by Iran, even as Steve Witkoff prepares to meet with the foreign minister either in Iran or Turkey? KAROLINE LEAVITT: I spoke with folks at the Pentagon this morning who said CENTCOM acted both appropriately and necessarily to protect U.S. personnel and equipment in the region. CENTCOM made the decision to shoot down the Iranian drone. It was unmanned and acting aggressively toward our USS Lincoln, which we know is an aircraft carrier in the region at the direction of President Trump. As for the president, he remains committed to pursuing diplomacy first. In order for diplomacy to work, it takes two to tango. You need a willing partner to engage, and that’s something the president and Special Envoy Witkoff are exploring and discussing right now. Special Envoy Witkoff is set to have a conversation with the Iranians later this week. Those talks are still scheduled as of right now. But of course, the president has always had a range of options on the table, and that includes the use of military force. The Iranians know that better than anyone. Look no further than the highly successful Operation Midnight Hammer, which took not just Iran but the entire world by surprise and completely obliterated their nuclear capabilities last year.

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