Iran targeted USS Abraham Lincoln with cruise missile, Navy Cmdr. says

TEHRAN - Iran's Navy targeted the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier with a strategic cruise missile during the 40-day Ramadan War, the Iranian Navy's deputy coordinator has said, noting that the force carried out more than 20 operations against U.S. warships and around 300 operations against American interests in various locations. Rear Admiral Jalil Moghadam said Iranian forces identified the carrier during the first two days of the conflict, using visual observation and available surveillance systems to track its position.

Speaking to the IRNA news agency, Moghadam said the Navy launched the missile after locating the carrier. He added that the vessel halted flight operations for three days following the strike before moving farther away from Iran's coastline. According to the official, Iranian naval forces concluded that the carrier had been hit after examining a series of developments following the operation. Moghadam said aircraft operating from the carrier attacked Iran's second and third naval regions on the third day of the war.

He noted that the carrier conducted no launches or flights for three days after Iran's operation. He added that, on the day of the attack or that night, the carrier requested assistance from a coastal country and reported having injured personnel. "Later, it was announced that the carrier had caught fire," Moghadam said, adding that images released from the site of the damage did not, in his assessment, correspond to an ordinary fire. He said the images showed ruptures in the hull and deformation of the structure, which he interpreted as evidence of a missile strike.

Iran Navy rejects claims of destruction Moghadam also rejected U.S. claims that Iran's naval forces had been destroyed, arguing that developments during and after the war demonstrated that the force remained operational. He said U.S. and Israeli forces had refrained from approaching Iran's coastline, particularly the Strait of Hormuz, and questioned why they had remained hundreds of kilometers away if Iran's naval capabilities had been eliminated.

The official mentioned that Iranian naval forces had continued to inflict damage on U.S. and Israeli interests during the 40-day conflict and after the ceasefire. He added that the Navy had reviewed its military doctrine following the conflict, incorporating lessons from the war and reassessing its equipment and operational priorities. Moghadam said that, in the event of another war, Iran's naval operations would extend beyond the scope of the previous conflict, citing improvements in the force's equipment and capabilities.

He also described the Strait of Hormuz as a strategic advantage for Iran, arguing that regional maritime security would not return to its desired state while U.S. forces remained in the region. The Iranian Navy official's remarks come amid continued tensions between Tehran and Washington over regional security and the strategic waterway, through which a significant share of global oil shipments passes.