The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had struck the US aircraft carrier USS "Abraham Lincoln" in the Persian Gulf, Euronews reported.
"The US aircraft carrier "Abraham Lincoln" was hit by four ballistic missiles," the Guards said in a statement released by local media. The same message warns that "land and sea will increasingly become a graveyard for terrorist aggressors".
The USS Abraham Lincoln is one of the US nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and part of the ten "Nimitz" class ships, which the US Navy defines as the largest warships in the world. According to the US Navy, ships of this class are about 333 meters long and can carry approximately 100,000 tons of equipment, including up to 65 aircraft and multiple missile systems.
The aircraft carrier was deployed to the Persian Gulf in late January as part of a naval group that US President Donald Trump described as an "armada" sent to the region "just in case" amid growing tensions over Tehran's crackdown on protesters unhappy with the country's economic situation.
The US Central Command (Centcom) said the aircraft carrier "Abraham Lincoln" was not hit by Iranian missiles.
"The missiles fired did not even come close to their target," they said. Centcom added that the aircraft carrier "continues to fly in support of the campaign to protect the American people by defeating threats posed by the Iranian regime".
Three American service members were killed and five were seriously injured in the operation against Iran, the US Central Command (CENTCOM), which is responsible for the Middle East, reported, the Associated Press reported, quoted by BTA.
The statement did not provide details.
The US military also said it had sunk an Iranian warship and called on the Iranian military to lay down its arms and leave its positions, Reuters reported.
The US Central Command, which is responsible for the ongoing US attacks on Iran, said it had sunk an Iranian “Jamaran“ class corvette that was at the pier “Chah Bahar“ in the Gulf of Oman.
“As the president said, members of the Iranian armed forces, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the police must lay down their weapons“, said an article in “Ex“, referring to a statement by US President Donald Trump made yesterday.
Meanwhile, the US aircraft carrier “Abraham Lincoln“ (USS Abraham Lincoln) was attacked today with four ballistic missiles, according to a statement by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps quoted by Iranian state media.
“Abraham Lincoln“ is one of two US aircraft carriers deployed to the region in recent weeks, and the only one relatively close to the Iranian coast, Reuters notes.
Saudi forces intercepted Iranian missiles on Saturday aimed at Riyadh's international airport and the Prince Sultan military base, which houses US troops, Agence France-Presse reported, citing an official source.
Earlier today, residents of Riyadh and AFP reporters reported hearing explosions and rumblings east of the capital.
Meanwhile, an Iranian drone attack on a naval base in Abu Dhabi, which houses French forces, caused a fire but caused no casualties, the UAE's defence ministry said.
Egyptian airports received 22 diverted international flights on Saturday after a number of Middle Eastern countries closed their airspace, due to the military escalation in the region, Al Ahram reported.
Twelve planes landed at Cairo International Airport, while the remaining ten landed at Sphinx Airport in Giza and at airports in Alexandria, Hurghada, Sharm el-Sheikh and Luxor.
Of the 116 scheduled flights to the Persian Gulf, 47 were canceled and 69 were carried out, according to a statement from the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
The ministry confirmed that it continues to continuously monitor air traffic, navigation and flight operations, after it announced a state of heightened operational readiness at all airports in the country yesterday.
National carrier Egypt Air suspended its flights to Kuwait, Dubai, Doha, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Qassim, Dammam, Erbil, Baghdad, Amman, Beirut and Muscat.
Three people were killed and 58 injured in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after Iran retaliated against US military bases in the Persian Gulf in response to the Israeli-American operation, Agence France-Presse reported.
Citizens from Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh were killed, the UAE's defense ministry said, adding that since the start of the Iranian retaliatory strikes, the UAE had intercepted 165 ballistic missiles, of which 152 were destroyed, as well as two cruise missiles.
In addition, "541 Iranian drones were intercepted, of which 506 were intercepted and destroyed," the ministry added.
Kuwait's health ministry said one person had been killed and 32 others wounded in the country. The deceased and the injured were foreign nationals, said Abdullah al-Sanad, a ministry spokesman, without providing further details.