News Investigators/ Iran has expanded its definition of the Strait of Hormuz into a “vast operational area” far wider than before the Iran war.
Mohammad Akbarzadeh, a deputy political director of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said this on Tuesday.
According to him, the strait is no longer viewed as a narrow stretch around a handful of islands but instead has been greatly enlarged in scope and military significance.
“In the past, the Strait of Hormuz was defined as a limited area around islands such as Hormuz and Hengam, but today this view has changed,” Akbarzadeh said.
He said the strait is now defined as a strategic zone stretching from the city of Jask in the east to Siri Island in the west, describing it as “a vast operational area”.
The reported expansion is the second announced by Iran since the start of its conflict with the U.S. and Israel.
On May 4, the IRGC Navy published a map showing a new zone of control extending along significant a stretch of the UAE’s Gulf of Oman coastline.
That stretched from Iran’s Mount Mobarak and the UAE’s emirate of Fujairah in the east to Iran’s Qeshm Island and the UAE emirate of Umm al Quwain in the west.
Iranian media reported that the strait’s width, was previously estimated at 20 to 30 miles, had now increased to between 200 and 300 miles.
The expanded zone forms a “complete crescent, the report said.
Reuters/NAN