Iran says struck US aircraft carrier Lincoln, American report says threat foiled

While the Iranian Navy claimed that it used advanced missiles and drones to target the US vessel, forcing it to retract, the US forces said that they fired at a ship approaching the aircraft carrier, without specifying further details.

In Short

• Iran says attack forced US carrier to retreat, caused significant damage
• US denies attack claims, says Iranian vessel threatened carrier
• US Navy fired warning shots, no confirmed damage or casualties

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed it carried out a missile and drone strike against the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, allegedly damaging the vessel and forcing it to retreat from regional waters. The US has not confirmed the claim and says its naval forces instead responded to a threatening approach by an Iranian vessel, according to a CBS News report.

According to Iranian state media outlet Press TV, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy launched a "precision operation" targeting the carrier while it was operating in waters near the Sea of Oman.

Iranian officials said the attack involved advanced missiles and drones that struck the vessel about 340 kilometers from Iran’s maritime borders.

In a statement carried by Press TV and attributed to Iran’s Central Headquarters of the Holy Prophet, the IRGC said the strike rendered the carrier non-operational and compelled the strike group to withdraw from the area at high speed.

Iranian authorities framed the operation as part of Tehran’s effort to defend its sovereignty and deter foreign military pressure in the region.

The carrier, a nuclear-powered Nimitz-class vessel that forms part of a US carrier strike group, has been deployed to support American military operations across the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific.

Iranian officials did not disclose the extent of the alleged damage or whether any casualties occurred.

Separately, the IRGC said it launched a missile and drone attack on a US naval installation in Mina Salman, where the US Navy Fifth Fleet is based.

According to the statement, two waves of strikes targeted key facilities, including anti-drone defence systems, drone storage and maintenance areas, support equipment and fuel tanks.

Iranian officials said the operation caused significant damage to US military infrastructure and personnel concentrations at the base.

The IRGC said the strikes demonstrated its naval capability to counter advanced military threats and warned that any attempts to intimidate the Islamic Republic would be met with a decisive response.

The claims followed remarks attributed to Iran’s new revolutionary leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who earlier emphasised the country’s determination to defend itself and warned of responses that would make adversaries "regret" hostile actions.

US DENIES IRAN CLAIM ON USS LINCOLN

The US, however, has not confirmed any successful Iranian attack on the carrier.

According to CBS News, US officials said an Iranian vessel approached the USS Abraham Lincoln too closely earlier in the week, prompting American forces to respond.

Two US officials briefed on the incident told the broadcaster that a US Navy ship attempted to fire on the approaching vessel using a Mark-45 five-inch naval gun, though the shots missed.

Officials said a helicopter armed with Hellfire missiles was then launched and struck the Iranian vessel with two missiles. The status of the Iranian craft and its crew remains unclear.

The incident reportedly occurred while the USS Abraham Lincoln was operating in the Arabian Sea alongside escort ships including the guided-missile destroyers USS Spruance and USS Michael Murphy, the CBS News added, quoting officials who spoke to the broadcaster on the condition of anonymity.

Several other US destroyers were also reported to be operating in the region.

It was not immediately clear which helicopter carried out the strike, though US Navy MH-60R Seahawk helicopters and Marine Corps AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters are both capable of firing Hellfire missiles.

The development comes just hours after a US Air Force aircraft carrying at least five crew members was shot down by Iran-backed Islamic Resistance group in Iraq. The incident involved a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, an aerial refuelling aircraft operated by the US military.

The conflicting accounts highlight rising tensions between Iran and the US in the strategic waters around the Gulf and the Arabian Sea, a region that remains a focal point of military activity and geopolitical rivalry.

Neither side has released further operational details about the latest encounter.

- Ends