Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy has announced what it described as a major expansion of Iran’s defensive perimeter in the Strait of Hormuz, warning it will not tolerate any violation of the country’s territorial waters or national interests.

Rear Admiral Mohammad Akbarzadeh, political deputy of the IRGC Navy, said on Tuesday that Iran has “fundamentally redefined” the operational boundaries of the strategic waterway, News.Az reports, citing Press TV.

“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.

He said Iran now considers the strait to extend far beyond its previous geographical understanding, stretching from the coasts of Jask and Sirik to areas beyond Greater Tunb Island, which he described as a redefined strategic zone.

“In other words, the Strait of Hormuz has grown larger and has turned into a vast operational area,” he said.

“It has expanded from a width of 20 to 30 miles in the past to over 200 to 300 miles, that is, 500 kilometres, from Jask and Sirik to beyond Qeshm Island and Greater Tunb. This is a complete crescent.”

Akbarzadeh said Iran’s armed forces were closely monitoring all activity 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.

He added that Iran’s military forces remained committed to defending national 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,” he said.

According to Press TV, the IRGC has also warned that only a corridor designated by Iran would be considered a safe passage through the strait, adding that vessels deviating from it would face a “decisive response”.

The report said Iran has imposed stricter controls over shipping in the Strait of Hormuz since early March, following what Tehran describes as hostile US and Israeli actions in the region. It also accused the United States of attempting to impose a blockade on Iranian vessels, a move it called illegal and an act of “maritime piracy”.

News.Az