US Military Hits Iran's Chabahar Port Tower, Releases Video of Operation

US Central Command released video of a strike on Iran’s Chabahar port surveillance tower, saying it weakens IRGC maritime tracking, while India confirmed no damage to the port terminal.

The US military’s Central Command on Friday shared the video of its forces carrying out a targeted strike on a key Iranian surveillance facility at Chabahar’s Shahid Kalantari Port, claiming it has significantly weakened the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) ability to monitor and target vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Chabahar port lies on the Gulf of Oman and serves as a key trade route.

“On July 16, U.S. forces successfully destroyed the Chah Bahar Shahid Kalantari Port surveillance tower, part of a maritime surveillance network along Iran’s Gulf of Oman coastline used for decades by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to track and target commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” the US CENTCOM posted on X (formerly Twitter).

“The destruction of the tower directly degrades IRGC’s ability to coordinate attacks on innocent civilian crew members. Furthermore, the strike protects freedom of navigation in regional waters for all vessels, except for ships attempting to violate the ongoing U.S. naval blockade against Iran,” the CENTCOM added.

Iran described the tower as overseeing commercial traffic into the port. However, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard is said to be operating at ports across the country, reports claim.

Chabahar port, which Iran had been running with support from India, has been a repeated target of American airstrikes.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday said India’s strategic interests in Iran’s Chabahar Port remain under discussion with relevant stakeholders after the expiry of the US sanctions waiver, while confirming that the port’s terminal has not suffered any damage despite reports of a recent American strike on Chabahar.

“Regarding Chabahar, if you have been following the issue, there was a waiver granted by the American side, which expired some time ago. Since then, we have been in discussions with the relevant stakeholders on how to take this matter forward,” Jaiswal said.