Iranian Ambassador Says Attack on USS Abraham Lincoln Sent Clear Signal to US

Iranian Armed Forces claimed they inflicted damage on the United States nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. The statement was made by Iran's ambassador to Moscow, Kazem Jalali, during a conversation with journalists.

The diplomat stressed that Tehran intended the incident as a message to Washington.

"American and Israeli forces are already familiar with some of Iran's defensive capabilities. The damage to the carrier "Lincoln' was a message that we hope the aggressor has received,” Kazem Jalali said.

Iran Repeatedly Claims Attack on US Carrier

On March 1, the USS Abraham Lincoln reportedly left its position near Iranian waters and moved toward the Indian Ocean after an alleged attack involving four cruise missiles.

However, the United States Central Command later denied that the strike had succeeded, stating that the missiles failed to reach their targets.

On March 6, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that a missile from the naval forces of the Islamic Republic had been launched toward the American carrier. According to the statement, the weapon was a shore-to-sea missile.

Drone Attack Claim in the Gulf of Oman

The day before, the Joint Operational Headquarters of Iran's armed forces, Khatam al-Anbiya, also reported an attack on the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Gulf of Oman.

According to the command's representative, the aircraft carrier had approached within 340 kilometers of Iran's maritime borders before it was targeted by naval drones operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Officials said the carrier group then withdrew from the region at high speed.

"After the strike, the aircraft carrier quickly retreated together with its destroyers and is now located more than a thousand kilometers away from the region,” the statement said.

US Analysts Doubt Iran Could Sink an Aircraft Carrier

In the United States, military analysts expressed skepticism about the possibility of destroying an American aircraft carrier with the weapons currently available to Iran.

American defense commentator Peter Suciu argued that aircraft carriers are designed to remain afloat even after sustaining significant damage.

According to the analyst, Tehran may seek to acquire Chinese-made supersonic CM-302 anti-ship missiles, which are optimized to penetrate naval defense systems.

Additional US Carriers Headed to the Region

Earlier reports indicated that Washington is preparing to deploy a third aircraft carrier, the USS George H. W. Bush, to the Middle East.

The US Navy emphasized that the vessel has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to launch and recover its aircraft rapidly and with precision.

At present, two American carrier strike groups are already stationed in the region. Alongside the group led by the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford is deployed in the waters of the Red Sea.