Iran Expands Strait of Hormuz to 500-km Operational Zone, IRGC Warns Ships

Mohammad Akbarzadeh, the political deputy of the IRGC Navy, informed Tasnim News Agency that the Islamic Republic has fundamentally reimagined the boundaries of this critical maritime gateway.

"[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 stated, according to reports.

Detailing this shift in maritime policy, the official noted that the strait "has become larger and turned into a vast operational area." He explained that the zone has surged from its traditional width of 20 to 30 miles to a broad expanse of 200 to 300 miles, roughly 500 kilometres, extending from Jask and Sirik to beyond Qeshm and Greater Tunb, effectively "forming a complete crescent."

According to Press TV, Rear Admiral Akbarzadeh reiterated on Tuesday that the operational scope of the waterway has been entirely redefined. He emphasised that the previously narrow definition of the strait as a "limited area around islands such as Hormuz and Hengam" is no longer applicable to Iran's current naval strategy.

"In other words, the Strait of Hormuz has grown larger and has turned into a vast operational area," he said. The Admiral further clarified that the new dimensions, reaching from Jask and Sirik to beyond Qeshm and Greater Tunb, constitute "a complete crescent" of military oversight.

Underlining Tehran's stance on regional security, Akbarzadeh asserted that Iran's military remains vigilant. "The Islamic Republic of Iran is carefully and authoritatively monitoring all regional movements and will not allow any kind of encroachment upon its waters and interests," he warned.

The naval official offered assurances regarding the protection of Iranian sovereignty, as per Mehr News Agency. "As it has been said before, 'We will give blood, but we will not give up an inch of soil.' The armed forces will defend the country's territorial integrity and waters with all their might," he said.

This assertive posture includes a new regulatory framework for maritime traffic. The IRGC has stated that the solitary secure passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be a corridor specified by the Islamic Republic, promising a "decisive response" against any ships that stray from these mandated paths.

These moves coincide with a period of intense regional friction following what Tehran has labelled an "illegal war of aggression" launched by the US and Israel earlier this year.

Since early March, Iran has restricted the passage of what it deems hostile shipping. These measures were further tightened last month in response to a US-led blockade on Iranian ports, a policy Tehran has denounced as being equivalent to "maritime piracy."

- ANI