Iran vowed to take revenge after Khamenei's death.
14:50, Sun, Mar 1, 2026 Updated: 15:42, Sun, Mar 1, 2026
USS Abraham Lincoln (Image: PA)
Iran has claimed to have struck the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier as Tehran launches strikes against US military assets. In a statement carried by Iranian state media, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said four ballistic missiles were fired at the US Navy aircraft carrier in waters near the Gulf region.
The strike was described as part of what Tehran has dubbed “Operation True Promise-4,” a broader military campaign targeting American and Israeli assets. The Guards said in a statement shared by local media: "The US aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln was struck by four ballistic missiles." They said "the land and sea will increasingly become the graveyard of the terrorist aggressors."
File image of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier (Image: Getty)
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The US Central Command, which is responsible for operations in the region, has denied the claims, saying they are a "lie" and that the Iranian missiles "didn't even come close".
In a statement on X, the command said: "Iran’s IRGC claims to have struck USS Abraham Lincoln with ballistic missiles. LIE.
"The Lincoln was not hit. The missiles launched didn’t even come close.
Smoke rises after explosions in Tehran (Image: Getty)
"The Lincoln continues to launch aircraft in support of CENTCOM’s relentless campaign to defend the American people by eliminating threats from the Iranian regime."
The warship is spearheading a carrier strike group, believed to be near the Gulf.
The vessels arrived earlier this month as part of Donald Trump's "massive armada".
Iran is continuing to launch retaliation strikes at targets across the Middle East following a huge US-Israeli attack on Saturday morning which killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Tehran's parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, has vowed revenge for the killing, saying: “You have crossed our red line and must pay the price."
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said a new leadership council “has begun its work” after death of the Supreme Leader.
The US Central Command denied the Lincoln had been attacked shortly after confirming three service members had been killed in the operation against Iran.
Authorities in Tehran say more than 200 people have been killed since the start of the US-Isralei airstrikes.
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