On July 16, U.S. forces destroyed the Chah Bahar Shahid Kalantari Port surveillance tower, part of an IRGC maritime surveillance network along Iran’s Gulf of Oman coast used to track and target commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed the strike in a statement:

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

The operation degrades the IRGC’s ability to coordinate attacks on civilian crew and protects freedom of navigation, except for ships violating the U.S. naval blockade against Iran, according to analyst Shin (@hey_itsmyturn) who originally shared the CENTCOM update.