In a sharp and scornful post on social media platform X, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf took direct aim at the United States on Friday, March 6, mocking what he described as Washington's failed attempt to intimidate Tehran through the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier.
Ghalibaf wrote that enormous hype had been created around the USS Abraham Lincoln to put pressure on Iran, but that the vessel — which he dismissively called a "much-touted bride" — left the battlefield and retreated at its first encounter with Iranian missiles and drones. The language was pointed, theatrical, and deliberate — designed as much for domestic consumption as international provocation.
He went further, arguing that a vessel supposed to defend the security and stability of America's allies could not even defend itself against a handful of drones, and instead fled the scene. He added a direct warning to U.S. regional partners, urging them not to place trust in what he described as hollow guarantees from Washington and Tel Aviv.
The remarks came at a particularly volatile moment. Tehran and several other Iranian cities were experiencing some of the heaviest strikes yet by American and Israeli fighter jets since the early hours of Friday, March 6.
Western officials offered a starkly different picture. U.S. CENTCOM stated that the U.S. Navy had sunk 24 Iranian vessels and established full air superiority, with analysts noting that Ghalibaf's comments fit within a broader Iranian "denial and deception" approach — promoting a narrative of American retreat even as strikes continued.
Separately, Ghalibaf also claimed the United States was facing shortages in its air defense stockpiles, warning that the consequences of leaving American soldiers and interests exposed would not be limited to the Middle East. The war of words continues to intensify — even as the actual war does the same.
