US Central Command said it destroyed an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps observation tower on Iran's Gulf of Oman coast on July 16, describing it as part of a maritime surveillance network used for decades to monitor and target commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Zioneer has been tracking the destruction of the IRGC observation tower at Iran's Chabahar port since early Friday morning. At 06:08 Jerusalem, the desk reported that the tower had collapsed, with subsequent bulletins confirming its destruction by US strikes. Throughout the day, the US military and CENTCOM stated that the tower was part of a decades-old maritime surveillance network used to monitor and attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. At 17:39 Jerusalem, the US Army confirmed the strike, and at 18:02 Jerusalem, CENTCOM released details about the tower's network role.
The latest CENTCOM statement, disseminated via the Arabic-language Abu Saleh channel, reiterates that the tower was part of a network used to target commercial vessels. It specifies the location as the Gulf of Oman coast rather than the previously cited Chabahar port, though the two are consistent. The destruction was carried out on July 16, as reported earlier.
The Zioneer has previously reported on the broader context of US-Iran maritime tensions, including IRGC claims of drone interceptions and CENTCOM's interception of Iranian drones targeting commercial ships. The tower's elimination is part of ongoing US operations to protect freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
The CENTCOM statement adds no new details on the method of destruction or future operations. The account remains consistent with earlier reports from both Iranian sources and the US military.
10 developments
- StrongCENTCOM: US forces destroyed IRGC surveillance tower, degrading ability to coordinate attacks on civilian crew
- StrongUS Army confirms destruction of IRGC observation tower, says it 'harms Iran's ability to coordinate attacks on shipping'
- StrongCENTCOM released footage of engagement with Iranian forces in Strait of Hormuz
- ConfirmedCENTCOM intercepts Iranian suicide drones targeting commercial ships in Strait of Hormuz
Source and signal
- Internal intake