Pete Hegseth shares image of Chabahar port tower collapse as US-Iran conflict intensifies: Why it matters for India

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday (local time) shared an image of a tower appearing to collapse after Washington launched repeated strikes against Iran on his social media account.

According to news agency AP, the image is reportedly of the Chabahar port tower; however, the US defense secretary did not attribute the tower or the image to any site.

The development came hours after the US military expanded its airstrike campaign against Iran by launching attacks on bridges and destroying a tower at Chabahar port on the Gulf of Oman, as part of US President Donald Trump's threats to start striking infrastructure to force the Islamic Republic to ease its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz. In retaliation, Tehran launched new missile attacks against US allies in the region, including Qatar, a key mediator in the war.

US attacks Iranian infrastructure in latest strikes

Chabahar port has been a repeated target of American airstrikes. Tehran described the tower as overseeing commercial traffic into the port. According to AP, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also operates at ports across the country. The attacks hit bridges overnight into Friday in Tehran's southern Hormozgan province, killing at least seven people.

The port has been a key trade route for landlocked neighbouring Afghanistan, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. Further, the attacks also hit Bandar Khamir, a city on Iran's coast on the Strait of Hormuz. According to AP, the strikes on the highway and railway bridge reportedly aimed at cutting off Bandar Abbas, Iran's main port, from roads leading into the country's central region and onward to Tehran, the capital.

While other routes are still open, the US strikes could further expand, thereby disrupting the movement of military material and goods required for the country's 90 million people. The Islamic Republic also acknowledged "attacks on power infrastructure" during the US airstrike campaign for the first time on Friday when its Energy Ministry issued a call for people to use less power in southern provinces.

Chabahar Port significant for India

According to The Indian Express, Chabahar, located at the entrance to the Gulf of Oman, is Iran's first deep-water port with direct access to the open ocean, making it a key hub on international maritime trade routes. Situated west of Iran's border with Pakistan, the port is positioned roughly opposite Gwadar, the Chinese-backed port in Pakistan, that lies to the east of the border and is often viewed as Chabahar's regional rival.

The port holds strategic importance for both Iran and India and could help Tehran reduce the impact of Western sanctions by expanding its trade links, while also providing India with a trade corridor to Afghanistan and Central Asia that avoids Pakistan, which does not permit overland transit for Indian goods to these regions.

Since 2002, India has been involved in the development of the port, which has been described as a "golden gate" by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. As the US military continues to strike Iran, New Delhi is closely watching the move, Firstpost reported. For New Delhi, the port is strategically important, mainly because of its location, as it provides India with an alternative route to Central Asia without relying on transit through Pakistan.

As the conflict escalates, any sustained disruption at Chabahar could have significant implications for regional trade and Iran's economy.