The US Navy has denied Iran’s claim that it carried out a precision strike on the US warship USS Abraham Lincoln near Oman and forced it to withdraw from the area.
According to Iranian statements, missiles and drones were used in an attack said to have taken place about 340 km from Iran’s waters, causing damage to the carrier. Iran also claimed it struck and damaged a US naval facility at Mina Salman in Bahrain.
US officials rejected both claims. They said the Abraham Lincoln, deployed in the Arabian Sea as part of a two-carrier presence alongside the USS Gerald R. Ford, was not hit as described by Iran.
US Navy officials instead reported a separate encounter in which an Iranian vessel approached the carrier. They said warning fire was used but missed, after which a helicopter armed with Hellfire missiles fired two missiles at the Iranian vessel, which they said was largely destroyed.
The developments come amid continued fighting involving Iran, the US and Israel, now in its 14th day, according to the report.
