Hegseth shares photo of Chabahar port tower collapsing amid strikes in Iran

United States defence secretary Pete Hegseth Friday shared a photo of a tower appearing to collapse after the repeated strikes on Iran.According to news agency AP, the photo is of the Chabahar port tower though Hegseth himself didn't attribute the tower to or photo to any site.Chabahar port has been a repeated target of American airstrikes. Iranian state media acknowledged a third round of strikes on the facility without immediately acknowledging the tower’s collapse.Iran, however, described the tower as overseeing commercial traffic into the port. However, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard also operates at ports across the country.Meanwhile, Tehran on Friday claimed that it had launched a fresh wave of attacks on US military facilities across the Gulf after American forces carried out a sixth straight night of strikes on Iranian military targets. The latest exchange marked another escalation in hostilities, with last month's ceasefire giving way to daily attacks by both sides.The US military said its overnight operation was aimed at further weakening Iran's military capabilities. The strikes targeted locations on Qeshm Island and areas near Bandar Abbas, which hosts Iran's largest commercial port as well as major naval and Revolutionary Guards installations."US forces, including fighter jets, aerial drones, and warships, launched precision munitions that hit dozens of Iranian military targets such as coastal surveillance and air defense sites, military logistics infrastructure, and maritime capabilities," the U.S. Central Command said in a statement.Iran has responded by launching missiles and drones at US military bases in neighbouring countries, including an air base in Jordan.In the early hours of Friday, Iran's military said it had targeted US facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait. Witnesses in the Qatari capital, Doha, reported hearing several explosion-like sounds, while Qatar's Interior Ministry said a child was injured by shrapnel.Iranian media also reported that the latest US strikes hit five bridges, the Bandar Khamir railway station on the country's southern coast, and Iranshahr Airport in southeastern Iran. Catch the latest world news and top headlines. Download the TOI App.