Iran claims it damaged USS George Washington with missile strike, Pentagon denies any hit

Iran says it fired missiles at the USS George Washington, one of the US Navy’s nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, in the Strait of Hormuz. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claims the strike forced the carrier to reposition, a narrative Iranian state media has been pushing aggressively. The Pentagon’s version of events is considerably less dramatic: no US ships were hit, no damage sustained, no casualties reported. What Iran says happened According to Iranian state outlets including Fars News Agency and IRNA, the IRGC launched ballistic missiles targeting US Navy warships operating near the Strait of Hormuz. The primary target was the USS George Washington (CVN-73), a Nimitz-class carrier that has been deployed to the Arabian Sea since August 2026. The September 5, 2026 incident reportedly involved missiles fired at two US warships, not just the George Washington. Iranian coverage painted the launches as a direct response to what Tehran views as an illegal naval blockade of its shipping lanes, an operation the US military has branded “Project Freedom.” What the Pentagon says actually happened US Central Command has been unambiguous in its response. CENTCOM stated that no US Nav...