Iran claims missile strike on USS Abraham Lincoln; Pentagon denies hit
Iranian Revolutionary Guards said they struck the U.S. carrier with four ballistic missiles in the Gulf after Supreme Leader Khamenei's death; U.S. Central Command rejected the claim.
6 hrs ago
Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed Sunday that they attacked the USS Abraham Lincoln, a U.S. Navy carrier operating in the Gulf, following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a military offensive by the United States and Israel.
"The American aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln was hit by four ballistic missiles," the Guards said in a statement distributed by local media outlets. They warned that "the land and sea will increasingly become the cemetery of the terrorist aggressors."
The Pentagon rejected the assertion. U.S. Central Command stated on X that the claim was false. "Lies. The Lincoln was not hit. The missiles launched didn't even come close," the command said. It added that the Lincoln continues to launch aircraft in support of operations to defend Americans and counter threats from the Iranian regime.
The claim marked the first time since the conflict began that Tehran directly targeted one of the U.S. Navy's flagship vessels. However, the strike could not be independently verified, and it remains unclear whether the missile launch actually occurred or whether the announcement was part of a broader messaging effort.
The incident occurred as part of an escalating military exchange between Iran and Israel following the U.S. and Israeli strikes that killed Khamenei. Iran vowed revenge Sunday and exchanged attacks with Israel as part of what officials described as an expanding conflict.
The Revolutionary Guards also warned of broader retaliation against American interests in the region, though specific targets or timing were not detailed in their statement.