The U.S. military says it bombed an Iranian surveillance tower used to “track and target” commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. Central Command, which oversees operations in the Iran war, posted grainy footage of missiles obliterating the Chah Bahar Shahid Kalantari Port structure.
The command said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps used the tower for decades along the Gulf of Oman coastline.
“The destruction of the tower directly degrades IRGC’s ability to coordinate attacks on innocent civilian crew members,” CENTCOM said Friday on social media. “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 U.S. conflict with Iran, in its fifth month, is centered on control of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for oil exports from the Middle East.
Iran says a mid-June memorandum of understanding granted Tehran the power to manage traffic in the strait, but the U.S. said it overstepped and must keep the strait free to commercial traffic.
President Trump reimposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports and maritime shipping and is using the U.S. military to help non-Iranian ships transit the strait.
American forces are bombing Iranian military targets that could be used to disrupt commercial traffic. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted an image on his X account showing the Chah Bahar tower collapsing.
Iranian officials say the Americans are bombing its civilian infrastructure, complaining to the United Nations that the strikes amount to war crimes.
The U.S. side insists it’s targeting military capabilities.
U.S.-Israeli attacks against Iran started Feb. 28 with the intent of thwarting Tehran from getting a nuclear weapon.
The attacks killed top Iranian leaders and decimated the country’s military infrastructure. Iran retaliated by clamping down on maritime traffic in Hormuz.
The disruption in the strait caused economic shocks due to limited oil supplies and rising prices.
The average U.S. price of gas stood at $3.98 per gallon on Friday, up from $3.94 one day earlier and closer to $3 at the start of the war, according to the AAA motor club.
Contact the author
Please read our comment policy before commenting.