Iran-linked media claimed that a U.S. aircraft carrier had been hit in the Arabian Sea, but American officials quickly rejected the report and said the USS Abraham Lincoln remains fully operational.
The conflicting accounts have added another layer of uncertainty to an already tense regional standoff. At the center of the dispute is the USS Abraham Lincoln, a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier that serves as one of the U.S. Navy’s most visible symbols of power in the region.
According to the Iranian side, multiple ballistic missiles were launched in response to what officials described as earlier military action involving the United States and Israel. Iranian reports claimed the attack forced the carrier to move away from its position near the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. Central Command disputed that version of events. American defense officials said the carrier was not damaged and remained able to conduct operations. The Navy also released footage showing aircraft activity aboard the ship, a move clearly intended to counter the Iranian narrative.