The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln was seen on weekend off the coast of Oman, sailing northwest in the direction of the Strait of Hormuz.
Images of the vessel were released by the EU’s Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.
U.S. Central Command shared photographs on X it said showed the carrier operating at sea.
The Lincoln is one of two aircraft carriers deployed to the region in recent weeks and the only one relatively close to Iranian shores.
Total US naval presence in the region now exceeds 30 warships, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM).
CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper stated that US and allied forces achieved total air and sea dominance over Iran within six days of the campaign’s launch.
According to Cooper, US forces sank over 30 Iranian vessels – including what CENTCOM describes as a drone carrier comparable in size to a World War II-era aircraft carrier – and struck nearly 200 targets inside Iranian territory during the initial phase.
Subsequent reporting indicates the total number of Iranian ships hit has risen to at least 43, while the overall target count across the campaign has exceeded 3,000 as of early March 2026.
The USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), operating with Carrier Air Wing 9 (CVW-9), has been stationed in the Arabian Sea since January 2026.
The Lincoln strike group is accompanied by at least eight Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers distributed across the Arabian Sea, Eastern Mediterranean, and Red Sea.
The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) – the US Navy’s newest supercarrier – transited the Suez Canal on 5 March and is now operating in the Red Sea as the second carrier strike group committed to the campaign.
Source: Reuters
- Agencies
