The Strait of Hormuz’s shipping lanes are just two nautical miles wide, requiring vessels to navigate extremely narrow channels while turning close to Iran’s mountainous coastline and fortified islands that provide strategic cover for Iranian forces, according to shipping broker SSY Global.

Towering cliffs rising thousands of feet on both sides make it virtually impossible for ground troops to land and secure control of the waterway. Even if Iran’s conventional navy has suffered significant damage, its asymmetric capabilities — including fast attack craft, mini submarines, naval mines and suicide attacks by kamikaze drones or speed boats — remain intact and capable of disrupting maritime traffic.

The strait’s two shipping lanes are each approximately two miles wide and are flanked on the northern side by Iran’s rugged coastline and a chain of strategically located islands including Qeshm, Larak, Hormuz and the disputed Abu Musa, along with the Greater and Lesser Tunb islands. Seven of the eight major islands in the Strait of Hormuz are controlled by Iran.

Military experts estimate that a sea-skimming cruise missile launched from Qeshm island could strike a fully loaded supertanker transiting the waterway in under two minutes. Iran has spent the past three decades strengthening military infrastructure on these islands, and assessments suggest that US and Israeli strikes over the past 27 days have not significantly damaged Iran’s core military capabilities located there.

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© National Herald