In case of the threat posed by any country in the region, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) may close the way to the Strait of Hormuz, IRGC Navy Commander Admiral Ali Fadavi was quoted by Mehr news agency as saying.
Fadavi added that in case of danger the Iranian Navy will control the Sea of Oman, while the IRGC forces will control the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.
He said that the IRGC will increase the presence of submarines in these regions soon.
The Strait of Hormuz is a strategically important strait connecting the Gulf of Oman in the south-east with the Persian Gulf in the south-west. The strait has a length of 195 kilometers. The narrowest width of the strait is about 54 kilometers. The strait is divided into two transport channels. Their width is about 2.5 km each, separated from each other by 5-kilometer buffer zone. At the moment the Strait is the only sea route, which allows to export Arab oil and gas to the third countries, particularly to the U.S.
As of 2006, roughly 33 percent of oil was exported by sea through the Strait of Hormuz. If we take into account the oil products, about 40 percent of global oil exports by sea and up to 80 percent of all crude oil in the region fall to the Strait.