The U.S. military has for the first time confirmed that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is participating in a blockade operation targeting Iranian ports.

"The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is operating in the Middle East, enforcing the U.S. blockade on ships arriving at and departing from Iranian ports," the Central Command (CENTCOM), the agency responsible for U.S. military operations in the Middle East, said in a social media post today.

The specific location of the U.S. warship was not disclosed. The post included images of helicopters transporting supplies from the logistics ship USNS Carl Brashear to the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea on April 18.

A helicopter delivers supplies to the USS Abraham Lincoln on April 18. Photo: CENTCOM

CENTCOM also announced that the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford has entered its area of ​​responsibility, beginning air missions in the Red Sea. Meanwhile, the George H. W. Bush Carrier Strike Group is moving off Madagascar, east of Africa, heading towards the Middle East.

This is the first time CENTCOM has confirmed the USS Abraham Lincoln's direct participation in the blockade of Iranian ports.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine said on April 16 that the blockade was led by a destroyer and that the USS Abraham Lincoln was "only present in the area." CENTCOM later described the aircraft carrier as "moving in the Arabian Sea."

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln carries a range of F-35C stealth fighters, F/A-18E/F combat aircraft, EA-18G electronic warfare aircraft, E-2D early warning aircraft, CMV-22B hybrid helicopters, and anti-submarine helicopters.

US fighter jets take off from the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea on April 16. Photo: US Navy

The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has repeatedly launched attacks on the USS Abraham Lincoln with missiles, drones, and suicide boats, but the US Navy insists these efforts have not affected the warship's operations.

In an incident in mid-March, an Iranian vessel approached the USS Abraham Lincoln. The escorting destroyer fired its cannons but failed to stop the vessel, forcing armed helicopters to scramble and launch missiles to neutralize it.

The US military began efforts on April 13 to block ships from and to Iranian ports, following negotiations in Pakistan two days earlier that ended without results and Iran's refusal to reopen the crucial sea lane.

Iran announced on April 17th that it would open the Strait of Hormuz to welcome the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, but resumed its blockade of the waterway just one day later in retaliation for the US-led operation to block ports.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei declared that the US blockade of Iranian ports and coastlines not only violated the ceasefire brokered by Pakistan, but was also "an illegal, criminal act and a collective punishment of the people."

The positions of the three US Carrier Strike Groups (CSGs) heading towards the Middle East as of April 20th. Graphic: USNI News

Tensions escalated on April 19th, when the US destroyer USS Spruance fired on and neutralized the Iranian-flagged cargo ship Touska as it sailed in the Sea of ​​Oman. US Marines deployed from the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli subsequently secured the Iranian cargo ship.

Tehran accused this of violating the ceasefire and warned of a strong response. Iranian officials also stated that recent US actions show a lack of seriousness regarding peace negotiations, and therefore have not confirmed participation in the second round of talks in Islamabad.