Iran’s Guards Claim Ballistic Missile Strike Damaged US Aircraft Carrier and Destroyer

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had finally struck a US aircraft carrier and destroyer with ballistic missiles, claiming both warships suffered damage and withdrew from the area of combat.

The IRGC said its aerospace forces launched the attack after US warships allegedly interfered with Iranian vessels and took part in a maritime blockade. In a statement published by Iran’s IRNA news agency, the Guards said the two ships left the area after being damaged.

The IRGC also said the US Central Command had acknowledged that two American Navy warships were targeted. Iran presented that acknowledgment as confirmation that its operation had succeeded. The Guards warned that continued US military action would bring a “heavier” response from Iran’s armed forces.

Earlier, the IRGC Navy said it had targeted three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and three US-affiliated vessels elsewhere in retaliation for American attacks on Iranian tankers. CENTCOM gave a sharply different account of the naval strike, saying Iran had fired ballistic missiles toward two US warships patrolling regional waters, but that both vessels avoided the attack and no US personnel were injured. CENTCOM said US forces later attacked three Iranian crude-oil tankers. The conflict has continued since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran in February.

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