{"id":6921,"date":"2026-03-13T12:09:34","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T12:09:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jubaglobal.com\/?p=6921"},"modified":"2026-05-10T00:10:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T22:10:00","slug":"iran-claims-missile-strike-on-us-carrier-uss-abraham-lincoln-us-denies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/iran-claims-missile-strike-on-us-carrier-uss-abraham-lincoln-us-denies\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran Claims Missile Strike on US Carrier USS Abraham Lincoln\u2014US Denies"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\nBy Juba Global News Network Staff JubaGlobal.com March 13, 2026 The fog of war thickened dramatically in the Persian Gulf early Friday when Iran\u2019s Islamic<\/span>
\nIran, Claims, Missile, Strike, Carrier<\/span>
\nIran Claims Missile Strike on US Carrier USS Abraham Lincoln\u2014US Denies.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

By Juba Global News Network Staff<\/strong>
JubaGlobal.com<\/strong>
March 13, 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

The fog of war thickened dramatically in the Persian Gulf early Friday when Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy announced it had successfully struck the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier with a barrage of ballistic missiles, claiming the \u201cZionist-American flagship\u201d had been \u201ccrippled and set ablaze.\u201d The dramatic assertion\u2014accompanied by grainy night-vision footage purporting to show multiple impacts and secondary explosions\u2014was immediately and categorically denied by the United States, which described the claim as \u201cpure propaganda\u201d and released its own imagery showing the carrier continuing normal flight operations.<\/p>\n

The dueling narratives come at the height of the third week of the US-Israeli war against Iran, a conflict that has already seen massive Israeli airstrikes, Iranian missile barrages on Israel and Gulf allies, Houthi threats in the Red Sea, and the near-total closure of the Strait of Hormuz. A confirmed hit on a U.S. supercarrier would represent the most significant direct naval engagement between American and Iranian forces since the Tanker War of the 1980s\u2014and potentially the most serious loss of a capital ship since World War II.<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s Claim: What They Say Happened<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a high-profile broadcast on state television and IRIB-affiliated channels, IRGC Navy spokesman Rear Adm. Shahram Irani declared:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Between 02:15 and 03:40 local time, the IRGC\u2019s Aerospace Force and Navy coordinated a \u201ccomplex, multi-layered\u201d attack using Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar-class ballistic missiles launched from coastal batteries in Hormozgan and Bushehr provinces.<\/li>\n
  • At least six missiles \u201cpenetrated the American defensive envelope\u201d and struck the Lincoln in the hangar deck and flight deck areas.<\/li>\n
  • Secondary explosions and fires were observed; the carrier \u201clost propulsion capability on at least two shafts\u201d and was \u201cdead in the water\u201d for a period before attempting to withdraw under escort.<\/li>\n
  • The strike was retaliation for U.S. support of Israeli airstrikes that have targeted Iranian nuclear sites, missile factories, and command centers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    The IRGC released three short video clips: one showing missile launches from mobile TELs, another of night-vision infrared footage with what appear to be bright flashes on a large ship silhouette, and a third of smoke rising against a dark horizon. No independent geolocation or verification of the footage has been possible so far.<\/p>\n

    Iranian officials framed the alleged strike as proof that \u201cthe era of American naval invincibility in the Persian Gulf is over\u201d and warned that \u201cany continued presence of U.S. carrier groups will be met with escalating responses.\u201d<\/p>\n

    U.S. Counter: \u201cComplete Fabrication\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Within 45 minutes of Iran\u2019s announcement, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) and the Pentagon issued a joint rebuttal:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • The USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group remain fully operational and on station in the Arabian Sea.<\/li>\n
    • No missiles reached the carrier; all inbound threats were either intercepted by layered defenses (Aegis destroyers, E-2D Hawkeyes, F\/A-18 Super Hornets on combat air patrol, and shipboard close-in weapons systems) or missed entirely.<\/li>\n
    • The Navy released real-time still images and a short video clip taken from an embarked MH-60R helicopter showing the Lincoln conducting routine flight operations at dawn, with aircraft launching and recovering normally.<\/li>\n
    • \u201cIran has a long history of fabricating or grossly exaggerating strike claims for domestic propaganda purposes,\u201d a senior defense official told JubaGlobal.com. \u201cThis is no different.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      The Lincoln\u2019s embarked Carrier Air Wing 9 continued flying combat sorties supporting coalition operations over Iran throughout the morning, according to flight-tracking data and open-source monitoring.<\/p>\n

      Why the Claim Matters\u2014Even If False<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Even if the strike did not occur, the public assertion alone carries strategic weight:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • Domestic morale in Iran<\/strong> \u2014 After weeks of devastating Israeli airstrikes and the loss of senior leadership, Tehran needs to project strength and deterrence to its population and hardline base.<\/li>\n
      • Psychological pressure on Gulf allies<\/strong> \u2014 Broadcasting images (real or staged) of a burning U.S. carrier reinforces Iran\u2019s narrative that hosting American forces invites catastrophic retaliation.<\/li>\n
      • Testing U.S. escalation thresholds<\/strong> \u2014 By claiming a hit without an actual sinking, Iran can gauge Washington\u2019s response without crossing the red line of confirmed major U.S. casualties.<\/li>\n
      • Information warfare advantage<\/strong> \u2014 The claim spreads rapidly on social media and sympathetic outlets before official denials can fully circulate, shaping perceptions in the Global South and among anti-Western audiences.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Broader Naval Context<\/strong><\/p>\n

        The Lincoln has been one of two U.S. carriers actively supporting operations in the theater (the other being the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Red Sea). Both have maintained standoff distances outside Iranian missile range envelopes while still enabling air operations via extended-range sorties and refueling.<\/p>\n

        U.S. naval posture in the Gulf has grown increasingly defensive since the war began: additional Arleigh Burke-class destroyers have been layered around the carriers, electronic-warfare aircraft jam Iranian targeting radars, and submarine assets reportedly shadow Iranian surface groups.<\/p>\n

        Pentagon officials emphasize that any confirmed successful attack on a U.S. carrier would trigger a disproportionate response under standing rules of engagement\u2014potentially including strikes on IRGC Navy headquarters, coastal missile batteries, and possibly leadership targets.<\/p>\n

        What Comes Next?<\/strong><\/p>\n

        For now, the competing claims sit side by side: Iran\u2019s dramatic video montage versus the U.S. Navy\u2019s daylight flight operations footage. Absent independent satellite imagery, third-party ship-tracking data, or debris analysis, the truth may remain obscured for days or weeks.<\/p>\n

        In the meantime, the Gulf remains a tinderbox. Oil prices edged higher on the uncertainty, tanker captains continue to refuse passage through the Strait of Hormuz, and coalition forces brace for what many fear could be a genuine attempt to turn propaganda into reality.<\/p>\n

        Juba Global News Network is monitoring open-source intelligence, satellite imagery providers, and official statements as this fast-moving naval controversy unfolds.<\/p>\n

        Stay informed with real-time updates from the Persian Gulf.<\/strong>
        Visit JubaGlobal.com<\/strong><\/p>\n

        #USNavy #IranClaims #USSAbrahamLincoln #NavalConflict #IranWar #MiddleEastWar #BreakingNews #JubaGlobal<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        By Juba Global News Network Staff JubaGlobal.com March 13, 2026 The fog of war thickened dramatically in the Persian Gulf early Friday when Iran\u2019s Islamic<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1199,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[830,643,1,782],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-breaking-news","category-more-articles","category-news","category-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1199"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6921"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6921\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22148,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6921\/revisions\/22148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}