President Donald Trump appeared to confuse Iran and Japan during remarks at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on July 8, 2026. While answering a question about European production of Patriot missile interceptors for Ukraine, Trump recounted an incident involving the USS Abraham Lincoln, stating that 111 missiles had been fired at the aircraft carrier by the "Islamic Republic of Japan."
Trump described the attack as occurring over about one hour and emphasized that every missile was intercepted, calling the carrier "one of the most beautiful [carriers] in the world." However, Japan, a longtime U.S. treaty ally, has no involvement in the U.S.-Iran conflict.
Iranian forces had previously claimed to have fired cruise and ballistic missiles at the USS Abraham Lincoln in late February and March, but U.S. Central Command publicly denied that the carrier was ever struck, stating that "the missiles launched didn’t even come close." Independent fact-checks also debunked viral footage suggesting the ship was on fire.
Additionally, Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, with Pakistan mediating, established a 60-day ceasefire framework under which the U.S. agreed to lift its naval blockade of Iran, and Tehran agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping.
The mix-up between Iran and Japan during the missile attack description was noted by multiple reports covering the NATO summit.
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