Trump Gaffe: Refers to 'Islamic Republic of Japan' Attacking US Aircraft Carrier

US President Donald Trump sparked public confusion after erroneously stating that the Islamic Republic of Japan fired 111 missiles at a US aircraft carrier several months ago. The statement was made by Trump on Monday, 8 July, whilst speaking to the press alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. In his remarks, Trump intended to recount the resilience of the United States naval fleet, specifically the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. However, he mistakenly identified the country involved in the military tension. “We have an aircraft carrier that is one of the most beautiful in the world, one of the largest, the (USS) Abraham Lincoln,” Trump said. “And a few months ago, I told this story yesterday, we faced 111 missiles fired by the Islamic Republic of Japan.” Trump added that the hundreds of missiles were fired at the aircraft carrier over the course of a full hour. He claimed, however, that all projectiles were successfully intercepted by the US defence system. Trump’s error is believed to refer to the ongoing tension between the United States and Iran, not Japan. According to records, in February, the US military shot down a drone that aggressively approached the USS Abraham Lincoln whilst sailing in the Arabian Sea, approximately 500 miles off the southern coast of Iran. The incident occurred just before the outbreak of open conflict between the US-Israel alliance and Iran, which is now entering its fourth month. The following month, Iran had claimed to have struck the USS Abraham Lincoln with a ballistic missile. However, US Central Command (Centcom) denied the report via platform X, stating that none of the missiles launched came close to the target and the ship continued to operate normally. Contrary to Trump’s claim, the United States and Japan have been military allies for nearly 75 years. The two countries signed a security treaty in 1952 and share a mutual defence agreement. Currently, there are approximately 60,000 US troops stationed in Japan. As of now, the White House has not provided an official clarification regarding the gaffe that mixed up the US’s close ally, Japan, with its arch-foe, the Islamic Republic of Iran.