The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps just lost one of its eyes on the Gulf of Oman.
U.S. forces destroyed a surveillance tower at Iran’s Chah Bahar Shahid Kalantari Port in a precision strike July 16, taking out what U.S. Central Command described as a key piece of Tehran’s maritime targeting network.
Video released by CENTCOM showed a projectile slamming into the tower, followed by images of the shattered structure.
“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,” CENTCOM announced Friday.
The military said the operation was designed to do more than knock down a building. By eliminating the tower, the U.S. sought to disrupt the IRGC’s ability to identify ships, monitor their movements and coordinate attacks against civilian crews.
“The destruction of the tower directly degrades IRGC’s ability to coordinate attacks on innocent civilian crew members,” CENTCOM said.
The command added that the strike “protects freedom of navigation in regional waters for all vessels,” with one major exception: ships attempting to violate the continuing U.S. naval blockade against Iran.
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… pic.twitter.com/CgBNvgOFf9
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 17, 2026
Iran offered a different description of the facility, saying the tower monitored commercial traffic entering the port. CENTCOM maintained that it formed part of an IRGC surveillance network used to track and target vessels moving through the Strait of Hormuz. The Associated Press reported both accounts.
The strike came during the sixth consecutive night of U.S. attacks on Iran, marking a sharp expansion of the American campaign following the collapse of the June memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran.
American fighter jets, drones and warships struck dozens of Iranian military targets during the wider operation, including coastal surveillance sites, air-defense systems, logistics infrastructure and maritime capabilities, according to CENTCOM statements reported by CBS News.
The target also reveals the campaign’s evolving shape.
The opening rounds concentrated heavily on weapons that could directly threaten ships, including missiles, drones, coastal defenses and maritime assets. The attack on the Chah Bahar tower shows the U.S. is now going after the network behind those weapons: the sensors, observation posts, and communications infrastructure that help Iran find its targets.
Watch the clips below:
BREAKING: U.S. forces say they have destroyed an Iranian surveillance tower used by the IRGC to monitor ships moving through the Strait of Hormuz.
Officials say the tower at Iran's Chah Bahar Shahid Kalantari Port helped the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps track commercial… pic.twitter.com/EsS9zPSP7M
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 17, 2026
🚨 IT'S OFFICIAL: CENTCOM has just OBLITERATED a crucial Iranian port surveillance tower that has been used for DECADES by the IRGC to "track and target commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz"
Keep destroying the IRGC. These are the consequences of abandoning President… pic.twitter.com/hq1JU0f9Yg
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) July 17, 2026
