DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — American airstrikes carried out Friday appear to have caused the collapse of a tower at Iran’s Chabahar port, a facility located along the Gulf of Oman that serves as a critical trade gateway for Afghanistan.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted surveillance imagery appearing to show the tower coming down. The footage had already been circulating on social media through activist channels before Hegseth shared it publicly.
Chabahar port has been struck multiple times by U.S. forces. Iranian state media confirmed that a third wave of strikes had hit the location, though officials did not immediately address reports of the tower’s collapse.
Iranian authorities characterized the tower as a structure used to monitor commercial vessel traffic entering the port. However, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard is also known to maintain a presence at ports throughout the country.
