Tension in the Arabian Sea reached a boiling point this morning when four Iranian warships — believed to be IRGC Navy fast-attack vessels and missile boats — suddenly maneuvered to surround the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group.

For several tense minutes, the American supercarrier and its escort destroyers found themselves boxed in by the Iranian formation. Iranian state media quickly claimed it was a “show of force” to warn the U.S. against further strikes near the Strait of Hormuz.

But what happened in the next 18 minutes was nothing short of brutal.

According to U.S. Navy officials and footage released by CENTCOM, the moment the Iranian ships closed within 8 nautical miles and began aggressive radar locking, the Abraham Lincoln’s combat center went active.

In under 60 seconds:

• Two F/A-18E/F Super Hornets already airborne were redirected.
• The destroyers USS Spruance and USS Frank E. Peterson immediately lit up their SPY-1 radars and Aegis systems.
• Warning shots were fired across the bow of the lead Iranian vessel.

Iranian ships reportedly fired first — a salvo of anti-ship missiles and unguided rockets.

The American response was devastating.

Within moments, the sky filled with smoke trails as U.S. ships and aircraft unleashed a coordinated barrage:

• SM-6 and ESSM missiles streaked out from the destroyers.
• Super Hornets dropped precision-guided munitions.
• At least two Iranian warships were hit directly and began burning heavily.
• A third vessel suffered catastrophic secondary explosions and listed sharply.
• The fourth Iranian ship turned and fled at maximum speed, trailing smoke.

Eyewitness footage from the flight deck of the Lincoln captured the horrifying scene: massive fireballs rising from the Iranian ships, thick black smoke billowing hundreds of meters into the sky, and debris raining down into the sea.