The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy has announced a major strategic expansion of Iran’s defensive perimeter in the Strait of Hormuz, warning that it will not allow any violation of the country’s territorial waters or national interests.
Rear Admiral Mohammad Akbarzadeh, the political deputy of the IRGC Navy, said on Tuesday that Iran has fundamentally redefined the operational boundaries of the strategic waterway.
“In the past, the Strait of Hormuz was defined as a limited area around islands such as Hormuz and Hengam, but today this has changed,” Akbarzadeh said.
What Iran considers the scope of the strait has been expanded, stretching from the coasts of Jask and Sirik to beyond the Greater Tunb Island, redefined as a strategic zone, he explained.
“In other words, the Strait of Hormuz has grown larger and has turned into a vast operational area,” Akbarzadeh said.
“It has expanded from a width of 20 to 30 miles in the past to over 200 to 300 miles that is, 500 kilometers from Jask and Sirik to beyond Qeshm Island and Greater Tunb. This is a complete crescent.”
The IRGC official emphasized that the armed forces are carefully monitoring all movements in the region.
“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 said.
Akbarzadeh assured the Iranian people that the armed forces remain committed to defending the nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“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.”
The IRGC has declared that the only safe route through the strait would be a corridor designated by the Islamic Republic, warning of a “decisive response” to any vessels that deviate.
Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz to hostile shipping since early March, days after the US and Israel launched their illegal war of aggression against the country.
Tehran began enforcing much stricter controls last month after the US said it was imposing a blockade on Iranian vessels and ports a move Iran has condemned as illegal and an act of maritime piracy.
Source: Press TV edited buy Al-manar English website