ANKARA

US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) has left the operational area in the region after being “neutralized” by Iranian forces, the spokesperson for the Iranian Armed Forces General Staff claimed.

Citing the spokesperson, Abolfazl Shekarchi, the Iranian media on Saturday reported that the aircraft carrier withdrew from the region following what he described as a “historic defeat.”

Shekarchi urged regional countries not to trust the US and said Washington’s “illusory power” cannot guarantee the security of Islamic countries.

He also called for unity among Muslim countries to confront what he described as threats led by the US and Israel.

The spokesperson said the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), which had been deployed in the region, was among the targets of Iranian armed forces.

“The largest US warship was neutralized by the power of the Muslim state of Iran and was forced to withdraw from the operational zone in a historic defeat,” he said.

Shekarchi claimed the aircraft carrier had begun heading back toward the US, without providing further details.

According to earlier US statements, the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) had been deployed in the Gulf of Oman, while the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) aircraft carrier was operating in the Red Sea.

* Writing by Khaled Ahmed Megahed Badr Elmowafy