AFP, Washington

A US fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone that approached an American aircraft carrier in the Middle East on Tuesday, Washington said, as renewed tensions on the high seas overshadowed plans for nuclear talks.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that US envoy Steve Witkoff is still expected “to have conversations with the Iranians late this week,” despite the incident.

The downing of the drone was the second clash between the foes in Middle Eastern waters on the same day, after Iranian forces attempted to detain a US-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.

Washington and Tehran have agreed to talks after US President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened Iran with military action -- and Iran warned that it would respond with strikes on US vessels and bases.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed on Tuesday that he had ordered the start of talks with the United States, provided they were free of threats, after Trump suggested “bad things” would happen without a deal.

US and Iran are due to hold talks in Oman tomorrow after Tehran requested a change of venue to limit negotiations to its nuclear programme, a regional official said.

Iran wanted the meeting to take place in Oman as a continuation of previous rounds of talks held in the Gulf Arab country on its nuclear programme, asking for a change of location from Turkey to avoid any expansion of the discussions to issues such as Tehran’s ballistic missiles, the regional official said.

A prominent Iranian news agency has in recent days published without comment images of US bases in the Middle East. The images carry no comment and only the day of the week and the date according to the Persian calendar. The picture for Tuesday showed an aerial view of the Al Dhafra air base outside Abu Dhabi, which is used by US and French forces.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Witkoff in Jerusalem on Tuesday that Iran “cannot be trusted,” according to a statement from Netanyahu’s office.

The US opposes Iran’s nuclear program, which it maintains is a precursor to acquiring nuclear weapons, while Tehran insists it is for civilian research purposes. Washington also wants to curtail Iran’s support for proxy forces in the region and cut its vast arsenal of ballistic missiles.

Meanwhile, Iranian media reported yesterday that women in Iran can now formally obtain a license to ride a motorcycle, ending years of legal ambiguity surrounding two-wheelers.

Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref signed a resolution on Tuesday aimed at clarifying the traffic code, which was approved by Iran’s cabinet in late January.