Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed Sunday to have launched four ballistic missiles at the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, escalating tensions in the Middle East following the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader.
The claim, made in the seventh communique regarding “Operation True Promise 4,” was reported by Iran’s Tasnim News Agency. “The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln was attacked with four ballistic missiles,” the IRGC stated, according to Turkish media outlet Turkiye Today. The IRGC further asserted, “The powerful strikes of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran against the exhausted military body of the enemy have entered a new phase, and both land and sea will increasingly become the graveyard of the invading terrorists.”
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) swiftly denied the assertion. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, CENTCOM stated, “Iran’s IRGC claims to have struck USS Abraham Lincoln with ballistic missiles. LIE. The Lincoln was not hit. The missiles launched didn’t even come close.” CENTCOM added that the Abraham Lincoln continues to launch aircraft in support of its campaign to defend against threats from the Iranian regime.
The Iranian claim remains unverified by independent sources. Neither the Pentagon nor the U.S. Navy has issued a public statement beyond the CENTCOM denial as of Sunday evening.
Separately, the Pentagon announced Sunday that three U.S. Military personnel were killed and five seriously wounded in combat operations against Iran. The announcement did not specify the location or details of the engagements. These casualties mark the first reported U.S. Military deaths since the joint U.S.-Israeli strike that killed Ayatollah Khamenei on Saturday.
The USS Abraham Lincoln, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier of the Nimitz class, was reportedly positioned in the Arabian Sea approximately 150 miles off the coast of Oman on February 15, according to satellite imagery verified by BBC Verify. The carrier operates with a carrier strike group including three Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers and carries around 90 aircraft, including F-35 fighter jets, with a crew of approximately 5,680.
The reported attack follows a meeting between U.S. And Iranian officials in Switzerland on February 17, the second round of talks focused on Iran’s nuclear program and potential sanctions relief.
Iran launched Operation ‘True Promise 4’ in the Indian Ocean following the death of Khamenei, targeting U.S. Military bases in Gulf countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar, according to reports.