U.S. forces destroyed the surveillance tower at Chah Bahar Shahid Kalantari Port on July 16.

Axar.az reports that this statement was published by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on X.

According to the statement, the tower was part of a maritime surveillance network along Iran's Gulf of Oman coastline that had been used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for decades to monitor and target commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

"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 statement added.