A representative of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbia Headquarters has claimed that US sailors deliberately set a fire aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford, one of the US Navy’s newest and largest aircraft carriers.

The incident occurred after the carrier was deployed from the Mediterranean Sea toward the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Oman to reinforce US forces in the region, The Caspian Post reports via Iranian media.

The Iranian military statement claimed the vessel was later intentionally set on fire in the Red Sea by several American servicemen due to panic among the crew.

There has been no independent confirmation of the claim, and the current condition of the carrier remains unclear. Earlier reports indicated that two sailors were injured after a fire broke out in the main laundry area of the USS Gerald R. Ford.