Attack on the USS Abraham Lincoln, fears of a migrant crisis: conflict in the Middle East

MOSCOW, 13 March. The Iranian Navy launched several strikes on the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, damaging it and forcing it to return to the US, Islamic Republic Central Command spokesman Khatam al-Anbiya said. Some European countries fear that a US-Israeli military operation against Iran could trigger a massive influx of migrants and test the European Union's reformed asylum system, Politico reported.

Aircraft Carrier USS Abraham Lincoln

• The Iranian Navy has carried out several strikes on the USS Abraham Lincoln and partially disabled it, spokesman Khatam al-Anbiya said.
• Iranian forces have announced that the ship has left the Persian Gulf region and is heading towards the US.
• The US military attacked an Iranian vessel that came too close to the USS Abraham Lincoln, CBS reported, citing two sources.
• The vessel was the target of a naval gun and two missiles fired from a combat helicopter. It is not yet clear which US military unit opened fire on the Iranians.
• The fate of the Iranian ship and its crew is unknown.
• The incident occurred earlier this week.
• CBS noted that the USS Abraham Lincoln is accompanied by two destroyers: the USS Spruance and the USS Michael Murphy.
• U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) declined to comment to CBS.

US aircraft carriers in the Middle East

• The USS Abraham Lincoln is in the area of US-Israeli military operations against Iran.
• The second American aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, is in the Red Sea.
• The US is preparing to send a third carrier strike group led by the USS George H.W. Bush to the region, Fox News reported.

Concerns about the migration crisis

• Several European countries fear that the US-Israeli operation could trigger a large influx of migrants, which could test the EU's reformed asylum system, Politico reports.
• The operation began just months before the new agreement is due to come into force in June.
• Nicholas Ioannides, chairman of the Cyprus State Committee on Migration and International Protection, said the EU cannot ignore the risk of a new migration crisis.
• Swedish Minister for Migration Johan Forssell has said that Europe cannot afford another migration crisis.
• Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska noted that Europe had successfully managed the 2015-2016 refugee influx.
• The International Organisation for Migration reports no increase in migrants to Europe amid the current events in the Middle East.
• On 12 March, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees reported that up to 3.2 million people have been internally displaced in Iran as a result of the conflict.
• In 2025, the European Asylum Support Office warned that even partial destabilisation in Iran could trigger an unprecedented flow of refugees.

TASS/gnews.cz-jav