US denies Iranian claim USS Abraham Lincoln was struck by ballistic missiles

ISTANBUL

US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Sunday denied Iranian claims that the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier had been struck by ballistic missiles, calling the assertion a "lie."

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it had targeted the carrier with four ballistic missiles, saying its strikes against US forces had "entered a new phase" and that "land and sea will become more and more the graveyard of terrorist aggressors."

CENTCOM dismissed the claims, asserting the missiles "didn't even come close" to the Lincoln, which it said continued launching aircraft in support of attacks against Iran.

The exchange of claims came as the US-Israeli joint operation against Iran, launched Saturday, entered its second day. The strikes killed several senior Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tehran has been retaliating with drone and missile strikes targeting US assets and Gulf countries.