Iran redefines Strait of Hormuz as 500-km strategic operational area, says IRGC

TEHRAN : IRGC Navy says the Strait of Hormuz is no longer a narrow passage but a vast 500-km operational zone stretching across key Gulf islands and coastal areas.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy has announced that the Strait of Hormuz has been “significantly expanded” into what it now describes as a vast strategic and operational zone extending from the coasts of Jask and Sirik to areas beyond Qeshm Island and Greater Tunb Island.

Mohammad Akbarzadeh, political deputy of the IRGC Navy, told the semi-state Tasnim News Agency that Iran has fundamentally changed its definition of the strategic waterway.

“Earlier, the Strait of Hormuz was considered a limited area around islands like Hormuz and Hengam when defined, but today this perspective has changed,” Akbarzadeh said.

According to him, the strait “has become larger and turned into a vast operational area,” expanding from a previous range of 20 to 30 miles to more than 200 to 300 miles — nearly 500 kilometers — stretching from Jask and Sirik to beyond Qeshm Island and Greater Tunb, forming what he described as a “complete crescent.”

Mehr News Agency also reported Rear Admiral Mohammad Akbarzadeh as saying on Tuesday that Iran has fundamentally redefined the operational boundaries of the strategic waterway.