Media: US airstrikes damage infrastructure at Iran's Chabahar port

Iran's strategic port of Chabahar came under renewed US airstrikes on Friday (July 17), with an image shared by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth appearing to show the collapse of a tower at the facility, according to The Times of India.

Hegseth posted the photograph on social media without identifying the location or providing any comment.

https://t.co/jZlSVRePRC pic.twitter.com/Nj5o0oiphH

— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) July 17, 2026

However, the Associated Press reported that the image showed Chabahar port, which has been repeatedly targeted during the current US military campaign.

Iranian state media confirmed that the port had been hit in a third round of strikes but did not immediately acknowledge reports that the tower had collapsed. Iranian authorities described the structure as a tower used to oversee commercial traffic entering the port, although the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also operates facilities at ports across the country.

The latest strike came as Iran said it had launched a fresh wave of missile and drone attacks against US military facilities across the Gulf following what Washington described as a sixth consecutive night of operations against Iranian military targets.

According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), American forces used fighter aircraft, drones and warships to carry out precision strikes on military sites on Qeshm Island and near Bandar Abbas, targeting coastal surveillance and air defence systems, military logistics infrastructure and maritime capabilities.

Iran, meanwhile, said it had targeted US military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait in retaliation. Witnesses in Doha reported hearing several explosion-like sounds, while Qatar's Interior Ministry said a child had been injured by shrapnel.

Iranian media also reported that US strikes damaged five bridges, Bandar Khamir railway station on the country's southern coast and Iranshahr Airport in southeastern Iran. Those claims have not been independently verified.

By Aghakazim Guliyev