According to state television, Iranian naval commander Irani issued threats of further attacks if enemy vessels approach Iranian forces. The USS Abraham Lincoln was deployed to the Gulf region by the US government in January. Concurrently, the US Department of Defense reported that a recent airstrike in western Iraq resulted in the deaths of seven soldiers and injuries to at least 13 others, targeting a position of Iranian-backed Shiite militias, which included a military clinic and a technical unit.