Key facts
- Iran claims to have successfully tested a new anti-ship missile over a U.S. Navy vessel.
- Major General Mohsen Rezaei stated the missile "created hell for the Americans" and caused them to flee.
- The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed to have fired ballistic missiles at a U.S. aircraft carrier and destroyer.
- U.S. Central Command confirmed an attack by "hostile missiles" but stated they were defeated without damage.
- U.S. forces struck three Iranian crude-oil carriers in response to the missile attacks.
- Iran's Abu Mahdi missile is described as a long-range, sea-skimming weapon with a range over 1,000 km.
Iran has claimed the successful testing of a new anti-ship missile over a U.S. Navy vessel, with Major General Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, stating the weapon "created hell for the Americans" and forced U.S. ships to flee the area. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also asserted that its Aerospace Force launched ballistic missiles targeting a U.S. aircraft carrier and destroyer, compelling them to leave the vicinity.
U.S. Central Command acknowledged that its vessels were targeted by "hostile missiles" but confirmed that they were defeated without sustaining any damage. In response to the Iranian missile attacks on September 5, 2026, U.S. Central Command forces struck three Iranian crude-oil carriers. The U.S. military stated that the warships evaded the attacks without casualties, though the direct targeting of major U.S. naval assets has significantly escalated risks around the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's claims of damage to U.S. warships and additional attacks on U.S.-linked shipping have increased threats to naval and commercial traffic in the region. The U.S. response, which involved disabling tankers associated with the IRGC's financing network, aims to create economic deterrence by threatening revenue-generating assets. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that further Iranian attacks on U.S. ships would result in additional actions against Iran's tanker fleet.
The Abu Mahdi long-range anti-ship cruise missile, a key component of Iran's maritime denial strategy, is described as a turbojet-powered, sea-skimming weapon with a claimed range exceeding 1,000 km. Its capabilities challenge the assumption that distance alone provides protection for U.S. surface combatants, forcing a reassessment of exposure, deterrence, and missile defense strategies in the Arabian Sea.