# Iran reduces most expensive tool of US military presence to nothing — expert

https://mins.news/en/item/24032

- TASS, 2026-08-17 09:44 UTC
- World
- Original: https://tass.com/world/2174099

> Russian military expert Alexander Stepanov said Iran’s ongoing campaign has fundamentally challenged the effectiveness of US carrier strike groups, calling them an expensive and vulnerable means of projecting power. He added that the USS Abraham Lincoln’s more than 260 days at sea had taken a toll on its crew.

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- [Trump says record Navy deployment in Iran operations was ‘not nearly long enough’](https://mins.news/en/item/22550) — France 24, 2026-08-14
