Iran’s Revolutionary Guard is claiming a sensational victory at sea, insisting the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln was “hit and fleeing” after Tehran unleashed a volley of so‑called “forbidden revenge missiles” in the north Arabian Sea.

In a fiery statement, IRGC commanders said they fired a new class of long‑range, heavy anti‑ship missiles banned under past UN resolutions and earlier Iranian pledges. State TV aired grainy footage of launches from concealed coastal pads, followed by a distant blast near a large silhouette at sea. Commentators hailed it as “the day the Lincoln ran.”

According to Tehran, at least one warhead detonated close enough to damage the carrier’s defensive systems and force a “rapid withdrawal” of the entire strike group hundreds of kilometres deeper into the Indian Ocean. Hard‑line outlets are plastering animated maps showing the Lincoln’s track curving sharply away from Iran’s coast.

The Pentagon flatly rejects talk of a direct hit, confirming only that “multiple inbound threats” were intercepted and that one missile exploded in the outer security ring, causing minor damage to an escorting destroyer. US officials admit the group later “repositioned to optimise force protection” but call any suggestion of a rout “pure propaganda.”

Yet for viewers across the region, the optics are powerful: Iranian “forbidden” missiles in the air, a US supercarrier suddenly farther from Hormuz, and a war of narratives raging over who blinked first — and what happens when the next salvo flies.