Gulf of Oman — One of the crown jewels of US naval power, the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, has come under a ferocious ballistic‑missile assault launched from Iranian territory, Pentagon officials say, in what could be a turning point in the spiraling confrontation.

Shortly before dawn, radar operators aboard the Lincoln’s strike group detected multiple high‑speed launches arcing in from the northwest. Aegis destroyers and the carrier’s own escorts fired interceptors in rapid succession, lighting up the sky as alarms blared through the 100,000‑ton vessel. According to initial reports, most of the incoming missiles were destroyed in flight — but at least one warhead is believed to have detonated dangerously close to the carrier’s starboard side, showering the flight deck with shrapnel and triggering onboard fires.

US Central Command has confirmed “several injuries and localized damage” on a “major capital ship,” but insists the Lincoln remains fully operational and able to launch aircraft. Sailors describe chaotic scenes as fire crews battled blazes near parked jets while damage‑control teams sealed off flooded compartments below decks.

In Tehran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is hailing the operation as a “historic strike against the heart of American arrogance,” broadcasting computer‑generated footage of missiles diving onto a carrier deck and vowing that “next time, none will miss.” Analysts warn that even a partial, glancing blow against a US super‑carrier is enough to shatter red lines — and push Washington toward retaliation on a scale the region has not seen in decades.