IRGC Claims Strike On USS Abraham Lincoln; U.S. Central Command Denies Damage

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed in mid-March that its naval and missile forces struck the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Sea of Oman, saying the operation used advanced ballistic missiles and drones and forced the carrier strike group to withdraw.

“Published on By Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) made an unfounded claim that the USS Abraham Lincoln was heavily damaged in an attack”

BNO News

U.S. Central Command and U.S. officials flatly deny any damage and say the carrier remains on mission.

BNO News

Tehran’s statements gave operational details and dramatic effects: state and IRGC media asserted the carrier was hit roughly 340 kilometres from Iran’s maritime border and that the strike caused fires and “significant structural damage” to the vessel.

Republic World recorded Iranian broadcasts saying the attack “caused fires and “significant structural damage” to the American vessel and forced the carrier strike group to retreat.”

Kurdistan24

아시아경제 quoted the IRGC Central Command saying, "We attacked the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) in the Gulf of Oman, approximately 340 kilometers from Iran's maritime border, using precision strikes with advanced missiles and drones," and Kurdistan24 noted the IRGC claim that the “vessel was hit directly by multiple missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) during the operation."

U.S. military sources pushed back with imagery and on-the-record statements; CENTCOM posted photos and reiterated the carrier strike group was active, and multiple outlets reported that U.S. officials said the missiles fired by Iran "did not come close" to the carrier.

“It was also not clear whether they were intended as warning shots”

NDTV

Republic World relayed CENTCOM’s posted image and statement that the carrier "continues to support Operation Epic Fury and project power from the sea," Kurdistan24 reported a US spokesperson saying the carrier “remains on its assigned mission,” and BNO News cited CENTCOM saying the IRGC claim was false.

Independent reporting described a related surface encounter: U.S. outlets cited anonymous officials saying U.S. ships and aircraft fired on Iranian vessels that approached the carrier group, with at least one Iranian vessel reportedly struck by a helicopter’s Hellfire missiles while other warning shots missed.

The Times of India relayed CBS reporting that “an Iranian vessel sailed too close to the Abraham Lincoln, and the US fired at the vessel," and that a "helicopter equipped with Hellfire missiles struck the vessel with two missiles," while 아시아경제 likewise described a helicopter Hellfire strike used to repel an approaching Iranian vessel.

Republic World

Major outlets and fact-checkers flagged the IRGC claims as lacking independent evidence, and reporting stressed the narrative differences between Iranian state media and U.S. military statements; several outlets emphasised that Tehran had not released satellite or verifiable imagery and that media and fact-checks called the claims unsubstantiated.

“Iran claims its missiles hit US warship Abraham Lincoln What's the story Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy has claimed that its ballistic missiles have hit the United States aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln”

NewsBytes

Republic World noted Iranian authorities "have not released satellite images, independent footage or additional details confirming damage to the carrier," NDTV Profit said U.S. media and fact-checks label the claims "unsubstantiated propaganda," and BNO News wrote plainly that "No evidence was provided to support the claim."

The Times of India