A destroyed surveillance tower at an Iranian port [Screenshot from U.S. Central Command's X video]

On the 17th (local time), the U.S. military announced that it had destroyed a port surveillance tower used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to track and target commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees military operations against Iran, stated on X (formerly Twitter) that day, "On July 16, U.S. forces successfully destroyed a surveillance tower at the Chabahar Shahid Kalantari Port, which is part of an Iranian maritime surveillance network along the coast of the Gulf of Oman."

According to CENTCOM, this surveillance tower had been used by the IRGC for decades to track and target merchant ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Chabahar Port is Iran's only port with direct access to the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean.

CENTCOM emphasized, "The destruction of this tower directly degrades the IRGC's ability to coordinate attacks against innocent civilian mariners," adding, "Furthermore, this strike protects the freedom of navigation for all vessels in regional waters, excluding those attempting to violate U.S. maritime sanctions against Iran."