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The US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Friday (local time) confirmed that it has "successfully destroyed" the surveillance tower at Iran's Shahid Kalantari Port in Chabahar, saying the facility formed part of a maritime surveillance network used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to monitor commercial shipping in the Gulf of Oman, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz.
In a post on X, CENTCOM said that the attack took place on Thursday as part of its continued military strikes on the Islamic Republic, now targeting civilian infrastructure. "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 post read. According to CENTCOM, the strike was intended to weaken the IRGC's ability to coordinate attacks on commercial shipping and support freedom of navigation in regional waters. It added that the operation was aimed at protecting civilian maritime traffic while enforcing the ongoing US naval blockade against Iran. "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 post added. https://x.com/CENTCOM/status/2078125131847594149 Following the strikes, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth posted a photo of the destroyed surveillance tower on X. https://x.com/PeteHegseth/status/2077956182665302280 Iranian state news agency IRNA also confirmed the destruction of the maritime control tower at Chabahar Port after being struck by US forces. However, it reported port's berths, cargo-handling equipment and other operational infrastructure were not damaged, and port authorities immediately began assessing the damage and taking steps to resume normal operations after safety inspections. Meanwhile, according to state media, Press TV, the overnight US military strikes targeted other civilian infrastructure across multiple provinces, with attacks hitting the provinces of Hormozgan, Bushehr, Sistan and Baluchestan, Khuzestan and Lorestan from late Thursday into early Friday. According to Press TV, Iran's Health Ministry said at least 38 people were killed and more than 400 others injured in the strikes by Friday morning. The ministry added that those killed included women and a minor, while dozens of people remained hospitalised. Authorities further stated that six bridges in Khamir County were damaged in the strikes, disrupting key transport routes connecting Bandar Abbas, Bandar Khamir and nearby areas. (ANI)
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