US destroyed Iranian surveillance tower used to track shipping, CENTCOM says

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Friday that American forces on Thursday destroyed a surveillance tower at Iran's Chah Bahar Shahid Kalantari Port.

"On July 16, US 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 command said on US social media company X.

"The destruction of the tower directly degrades IRGC’s ability to coordinate attacks on innocent civilian crew members."

The command added that the strike was intended to protect freedom of navigation in regional waters for commercial shipping, while noting that vessels attempting to violate the ongoing US naval blockade against Iran would not be covered by those protections.

The US announced Tuesday that it resumed a naval blockade against vessels transiting to or from Iranian ports and coastal areas.

Tensions between the US and Iran have recently escalated regarding the Strait of Hormuz, with the two sides exchanging attacks despite a Pakistan-mediated memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the conflict and reaching a lasting peace agreement.