Iran has continued to claim about managing to hit an US aircraft carrier. Starting March 1 and till now, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy has claimed that its ballistic missiles struck US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln forcing it to retreat. However, this has been strongly denied by Pentagon saying that the American aircraft carrier "continues to support Operation Epic Fury".
Iran's Claim
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been claiming that its ballistic missiles have struck US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, disabling the vessel and forcing it to withdraw from Gulf waters. According to Iranian state media, a precision attack using advanced missiles and drones allegedly targeted the carrier roughly 340 kilometres from Iran's maritime boundary in the Sea of Oman, after which the US strike group was seen 'fleeing the area at high speed'.
However, it should be noted that this has not been claimed by their official channels but been reported by affilated handles like Press TV.
Claims have often referenced "Operation True Promise 4" or Khatam al-Anbiya statements, with no new verifiable evidence. Many posts include images/videos (likely propaganda or unverified), and the narrative has shifted over days (from ballistic missiles on March 1, to drones on March 5, to combined "heavy damage" now.
US Denial
U.S. media and fact-checks label these as unsubstantiated propaganda. No independent confirmation exists of any successful strike.
The United States Central Command (U.S. CENTCOM), one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense, has consistently denies any hit, stating missiles "didn't even come close" and releasing proof of normal operations.
U.S. CENTCOM has posted an image of the USS Abraham Lincoln on X, stating that the carrier "continues to support Operation Epic Fury and project power from the sea," and stressing that the Iranian missiles had not hit their target.
American media reports have added that an Iranian vessel had approached the carrier too closely earlier in the week, prompting a US Navy ship to open fire using its Mark 45 naval gun. US officials said the shots appeared to miss, and it remained unclear whether they were intended as warning shots or whether the Iranian vessel sustained any damage.
The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group continues to support Operation Epic Fury and project power from the sea. pic.twitter.com/2o7krBUp70
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 12, 2026
The US currently has two aircraft carriers, the USS Gerald R. Ford and the USS Abraham Lincoln which is operating in the Middle East, accompanied by multiple destroyers positioned across the Arabian Sea.
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