New Delhi: The US struck key facilities in Iran’s southeastern port city of Chabahar Thursday, marking the first known American attack on the strategic port since the US-Iran ceasefire was announced in April, according to multiple media reports citing Iranian state media.
Explosions were reported across Chabahar, with Iranian state media saying parts of the city faced widespread power outages after the strikes. Residents reported hearing multiple blasts as emergency services moved into damaged areas.
Reports said the latest US campaign hit multiple Iranian locations, including Bandar Abbas, Konarak, Bushehr, Aq Qala, Iranshahr airport, and Chabahar port infrastructure.
Iranian officials reportedly told Fars news agency, which is linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), that the attacks on Chabahar included strikes on a maritime control tower and a depot.
US President Donald Trump warned Tehran that American strikes would “get much worse” if Iran continued targeting commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The development followed a fresh exchange of strikes between Iran and the US, with Trump declaring the ceasefire “over” after both sides accused the other of escalating hostilities in West Asia.
“At the direction of the Commander in Chief, U.S. Central Command forces have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” the US Central Command (CENTCOM) wrote on X Thursday.
“The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway,” it added.
Chabahar’s India connection
Chabahar’s significance extends well beyond Iran because of its location and India’s long-running investment in the port as a strategic trade route. Located at the mouth of the Gulf of Oman in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province, Chabahar is Iran’s only oceanic port and its first deepwater port linking the country directly to global sea routes. It sits outside the Strait of Hormuz and near Pakistan’s Gwadar port, which has been developed with Chinese backing through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
For India, Chabahar has long been viewed as a strategic gateway to Afghanistan, Central Asia and beyond while bypassing Pakistan. The port is around 550 nautical miles from Gujarat’s Kandla port and is tied to the International North-South Transport Corridor, which aims to connect the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea, Russia, and northern Europe.
India’s involvement in Chabahar dates back to the early 2000s. In 2015, India and Iran signed an MoU for development of the Shahid Beheshti terminal, and in 2016, India, Iran and Afghanistan signed a trilateral transit agreement. The terminal started operating under Indian control in 2018 through India Ports Global Limited.
However, India is no longer directly operating the port after temporarily transferring its stake in the Chabahar Free Zone to a local Iranian entity amid renewed US sanctions. The move signalled a pause in New Delhi’s operational role, even as Chabahar remains central to India’s effort to build a Pakistan-free route to Afghanistan and Central Asia. India has invested nearly $120 million in equipment procurement at the port, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
The US strike marks a fresh escalation in the widening US-Iran conflict, with Chabahar becoming one of several Iranian sites hit in the latest round of attacks.
(Edited by Vidhi Bhutra)
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