The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on April 20 (US time) that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln was operating in the Middle East to implement the order to prevent ships from entering and leaving Iranian ports. This is the first time the US has confirmed the direct role of the USS Abraham Lincoln in this operation.
Previously, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, said the aircraft carrier was only present in the area, while the operation was led by a destroyer. CENTCOM also described the ship moving in the Arabian Sea.
USS Abraham Lincoln carries many modern equipment, including F-35C stealth fighters, F/A-18E/F fighter jets, EA-18G electronic warfare aircraft, E-2D early warning aircraft and CMV-22B helicopters and anti-submarine helicopters.
At the same time, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford entered the CENTCOM area and began operations in the Red Sea, while the aircraft carrier strike group George H. W. Bush moved from off Madagascar towards the Middle East.
The blockade campaign was launched by the US after negotiations in Pakistan failed and Iran refused to reopen the important shipping route. After that, Tehran announced the opening of the Strait of Hormuz but quickly re-blocked it in response to Washington's move.
Tensions continued to escalate when the destroyer USS Spruance fired artillery, neutralizing the cargo ship Touska flying the Iranian flag in the Oman Sea. The US Marine Corps then controlled this ship.
Iran condemned the US action as a violation of the ceasefire brokered by Pakistan. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said that blockading ports and coastlines is illegal and collectively punitive.
In the past, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard force repeatedly attacked the USS Abraham Lincoln with missiles, drones and suicide boats, but the US side affirmed that it did not affect the ship's operations.
Tehran warned of a strong response, and said that Washington's recent actions showed a lack of goodwill in negotiations, making the possibility of resuming dialogue unconfirmed.
