U.S. says Iran’s claim it struck USS Abraham Lincoln is false

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) made an unfounded claim that the USS Abraham Lincoln was heavily damaged in an attack. U.S. Central Command denied the report.

The IRGC said on Thursday that the U.S. aircraft carrier had suffered major damage after being targeted with missiles and drones. It also claimed the Abraham Lincoln was now withdrawing toward the United States. No evidence was provided to support the claim.

A CENTCOM spokesperson told Al Jazeera that the IRGC’s claims were false, and said the carrier continues its mission in the region in support of the operation against Iran.

In a separate report on Thursday, CBS News, citing two U.S. officials briefed on the matter, said U.S. forces struck an Iranian vessel earlier this week after it sailed too close to the Abraham Lincoln.

According to CBS, a U.S. Navy ship first tried to fire on the vessel with its 5-inch Mark 45 deck gun but missed several times before a U.S. helicopter armed with Hellfire missiles struck the Iranian vessel twice. The condition of the Iranian vessel and its crew was not known.

Asked about the reported incident, a U.S. defense official told CBS: “We have nothing for you on this.”