Regional escalation

Iranian Media Releases Provocative Video Depicting Sinking U.S. Warship | WATCH

Tehran’s Mehr News Agency has released a symbolic video titled "Sinking of Pharaoh," depicting a U.S. warship engulfed in flames and coffins sinking into a blood-red sea. The propaganda, citing Quranic verses, coincides with the arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group in the Middle East.

Bianca Jones

JAN 29, 2026 07:43

2 min read

Iran's Mehr news agency shows Iran sinking US carrier

In a bold display of anti-American rhetoric, Iran's Mehr News Agency, closely affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has released a short animated video titled "Sinking of Pharaoh."

The clip features symbolic imagery of U.S. flag-draped coffins sinking into a blood-red sea, followed by a U.S. warship engulfed in flames and submerging at sunset. The video culminates with a Quranic verse from Surat al-Baqarah (2:50): “And We drowned the people of Pharaoh while you were looking on,” drawing a parallel between the biblical drowning of Pharaoh's army in the Red Sea and a envisioned defeat of U.S. forces. Analysts interpret this as portraying America as a modern-day oppressor, a recurring theme in Iranian propaganda during periods of heightened U.S.-Iran confrontations.

Provocative Video Depicting Sinking U.S. Warship (Vidoe: uncredited)

The release coincides with recent escalations in the Middle East, including the arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group on January 25, 2026.

Iran expert Jason Brodsky, Policy Director at United Against Nuclear Iran, noted on X that the video appears to be recycled content, potentially from earlier propaganda efforts dating back to 2019-2020 tensions or even 2016 simulations like "Steadfastness 2," which similarly depicted U.S. naval defeats.

Some are dismissing it as amateurish psychological warfare, while others view it as part of Iran's strategy to project defiance.

No immediate response from U.S. officials has been reported, though it aligns with other recent Iranian media simulations, including hypersonic missile strikes on American carriers.