U.S. President Donald Trump has categorically rejected Iran's assertions that its naval forces successfully struck the American aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Sea of Oman.

Iranian officials boasted that a swarm of explosive-laden naval drones targeted the carrier near the Strait of Hormuz, claiming to have inflicted severe damage and forced a tactical retreat.

The United States Central Command swiftly dismissed these claims as entirely false, labelling them as baseless propaganda. Satellite imagery, radar data, and real-time tracking from allied naval assets confirm that the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group encountered no hostile engagement and sustained zero damage.

President Trump took to social media to accuse Tehran of disseminating AI-generated disinformation. He highlighted manipulated videos circulating online, which purportedly showed plumes of smoke rising from the carrier's deck and crew scrambling amid chaos. Independent fact-checkers have since verified these as deepfakes, with tell tale artefacts like unnatural shadows and inconsistent lighting.

The USS Abraham Lincoln, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered carrier commissioned in 1989, serves as the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 8. It is currently deployed in the U.S. Fifth Fleet's area of responsibility, conducting routine freedom-of-navigation operations amid heightened tensions in the Gulf region.

The carrier hosts over 5,000 personnel and up to 90 aircraft, including F-35C stealth fighters and E-2D Hawkeye early-warning planes.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy publicised the alleged strike via state media, releasing grainy footage of small unmanned surface vessels approaching a blurred silhouette resembling the Lincoln. Tehran framed the operation as a "decisive blow" against American "aggression," tying it to broader grievances over U.S. sanctions and support for Israel.

This is not the first instance of Iranian disinformation campaigns targeting U.S. naval assets. In 2019, similar claims surfaced during heightened Strait of Hormuz tensions, when Iran seized oil tankers and mined shipping lanes. Those too were debunked by CENTCOM, revealing a pattern of psychological warfare to bolster domestic support.

The timing of Iran's claims coincides with stalled nuclear talks and recent U.S. airstrikes on IRGC-linked militias in Iraq and Syria. Analysts suggest Tehran aims to deter further escalation by projecting naval potency, despite its fleet's reliance on asymmetric tactics like fast-attack boats and drones rather than blue-water capabilities.

U.S. officials emphasise that the Abraham Lincoln remains fully operational, with its air wing actively flying combat air patrols and strike missions. Accompanying destroyers, including the USS Roosevelt and USS Normandy, provide layered air and missile defence via Aegis systems, rendering drone swarms largely ineffective against such defences.

Regional allies, including the UK and Israel, have echoed Washington's dismissal. The Royal Navy's HMS Duncan, operating nearby, reported no unusual activity, while Israeli intelligence sources pointed to Iran's history of fabricating victories to mask operational setbacks.

As tensions simmer, the U.S. has bolstered its Gulf presence with additional Patriot batteries and B-52 bombers at Diego Garcia. Trump warned that any verified Iranian attack on American forces would trigger a "massive" response, invoking memories of the 2020 Soleimani strike.

Experts caution that AI-driven disinformation poses a growing threat in hybrid warfare. Tools like Midjourney and Stable Diffusion enable rapid creation of convincing fakes, complicating battlefield perception management. The Pentagon has ramped up AI-detection protocols in response.

For now, the USS Abraham Lincoln sails on undeterred, a symbol of American resolve in a volatile theatre where rhetoric often outpaces reality.

Agencies