IRGC frames the attack as retaliation for US 'harassment' of Iranian shipping. CENTCOM says it destroyed three Iranian oil tankers. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that its Aerospace Force launched a volley of ballistic missiles targeting a US Navy aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer operating in regional waters. According to an official statement issued by the IRGC Public Relations department, the targeted U.S. warships had been actively harassing Iranian shipping and participating in a naval blockade imposed against Iran. Iranian military officials asserted that both American naval vessels sustained damage during the high-seas engagement and were forced to withdraw. "The Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted a U.S. aircraft carrier and a destroyer with several ballistic missiles after they harassed Iranian ships and participated in the maritime blockade," the IRGC Public Relations department stated. "Following the damage inflicted and out of fear of repeated strikes, the two naval vessels were forced to flee the conflict zone." The IRGC statement highlighted subsequent statements from US Central Command (CENTCOM) acknowledging that its naval assets had come under missile attack, framing Washington's confirmation of the incident as evidence of Iranian offensive capabilities. While Tehran claimed its missiles damaged both US warships, CENTCOM issued a statement verifying that an American aircraft carrier and destroyer were targeted by IRGC ballistic missiles, but stated the ships evaded the strike without suffering damage or casualties. CENTCOM subsequently launched retaliatory strikes that disabled three Iranian oil tankers. The IRGC warned that any further action by American forces in regional waterways would meet an immediate military response. "If hostile and aggressive actions continue, the US regime must await severe responses from the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran," the IRGC added. "We stand stronger than ever. Victory belongs to the resistant Iranian nation, and defeat and regret are the definitive fate of the aggressors."