In a jaw-dropping escalation in the northern Arabian Sea, four Iranian warships suddenly closed in from all directions and boxed in the mighty USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) — the crown jewel of the US Navy’s Carrier Strike Group.

According to multiple defence sources and eyewitness reports circulating on March 10–12, 2026, the incident unfolded at approximately 9:00 AM local time.

Two high-speed IRGC missile boats screamed across the carrier’s bow at dangerously close range. A Jamaran-class frigate and a fast-attack corvette simultaneously flanked the Lincoln from port and starboard. Radars were locked, weapons crews stood at the rails, and the Iranian ships broadcast repeated Farsi warnings:

“Alter course immediately… or you will be fired upon.”

The distance between the vessels shrank to just a few kilometres — the most brazen surface challenge to a US aircraft carrier in decades.