Iran claims US carrier Abraham Lincoln ‘struck’ by four ballistic missiles

Tensions in the Gulf have intensified after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed they struck the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln with four ballistic missiles. The announcement comes in the wake of US and Israeli strikes that reportedly killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, further deepening the crisis in the region.

IRGC’s Statement

In a statement carried by local media, the Revolutionary Guards said, “The US aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln was struck by four ballistic missiles.” The force also issued a stark warning, declaring that “the land and sea will increasingly become the graveyard of the terrorist aggressors.”

However, the claim that the carrier was hit by ballistic missiles has not been independently verified.

US Response

The US Central Command (CENTCOM), in a post on X, stated that American forces had targeted an Iranian Jamaran-class corvette at the start of Operation Epic Fury. According to CENTCOM, the vessel is sinking at a pier in Chah Bahar in the Gulf of Oman. The statement also urged Iranian armed forces, the IRGC and police to lay down their weapons.

Broader Iranian Claims

Separately, the Iranian consulate in Hyderabad alleged that four drones struck a merchant ship carrying ammunition for US warships at the Jebel Ali anchorage, leaving it disabled. It also claimed that a US naval base in Kuwait’s Abdullah Mubarak area was hit by ballistic missiles and drones, causing significant damage and casualties.

As conflicting claims continue from both sides, the situation in the region remains volatile and uncertain.