Iran Claims Missile Strike on US Aircraft Carrier, US Denies and Reports Firefight
In a dramatic escalation of tensions, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy claimed on Friday that its ballistic missiles struck the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, rendering it non-operational and forcing it to retreat from Gulf waters. However, Washington has firmly denied this assertion, stating that the aircraft carrier continues to support Operation Epic Fury.
Conflicting Reports from the Gulf Region
According to a statement from the IRGC, cited by Iranian media via AA news, the US Navy carrier was targeted during operations in the region. The statement did not provide specifics on damage or casualties. Iranian state television further reported that following the alleged strike, the US carrier and its accompanying strike group were seen fleeing the area at high speed, though again, no details on casualties or damage were given.
This is not the first time Iran has made such a claim. The IRGC had previously asserted striking the Lincoln, but the Pentagon dismissed that earlier report, stating the missiles launched didn't even come close.
US Denial and Details of a Separate Incident
In response, US Central Command (CENTCOM) posted a picture of the Abraham Lincoln, asserting that the carrier strike group continues to support Operation Epic Fury and project power from the sea. While CENTCOM did not comment directly on the Iranian claim, US officials provided details of a separate, confirmed incident to CBS News.
American warships operating with the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea fired upon Iranian vessels that had sailed too close to the carrier strike group. Two US officials, speaking under condition of anonymity, explained that an Iranian vessel approached too close to the USS Abraham Lincoln, prompting the US to fire at it.
Details of the US Fire on Iranian Vessel
The officials stated that it is unknown which US naval vessel fired on the Iranian ship, but it missed multiple times. It remains unclear whether these were intended as warning shots. Subsequently, a helicopter equipped with Hellfire missiles struck the vessel with two missiles. The current status of the Iranian ship and its crew is not known.
This incident adds to a series of tense encounters in the region. In early February, an Iranian Shahed-139 drone approached the carrier aggressively and was shot down by a US fighter jet, as reported by CBS News. Since the start of US military operations against Iran, over 90 Iranian vessels have reportedly been damaged or destroyed by American forces, according to US Central Command.
Background on the USS Abraham Lincoln Strike Group
The USS Abraham Lincoln is a nuclear-powered Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, accompanied by destroyers such as the USS Spruance and USS Michael Murphy, among other vessels operating in the Arabian Sea. The carrier strike group arrived in the region in late January as part of a broader US naval presence, previously described by former President Trump as an armada.
These developments occur amidst broader regional tensions, including reports of Saudi Arabia intercepting a drone headed to the Shaybah oil field and Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut, highlighting the volatile security landscape in the Middle East.
