A visual guide to Iran's coastline and strategic islands

[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad]

Iran has two separate coastlines. To the north, it borders the Caspian Sea, and to the south, it faces the Gulf. Its southern waters include more than 30 islands, several of which lie along the Strait of Hormuz and form a defensive arc.

Ranked 17th by land area and population, Iran has about 92 million people and is roughly the same size as the US state of Alaska.

Stretching some 1,800km (1,120 miles), Iran’s southern coastline forms a vast maritime corridor from the marshy Iraqi delta in the west to Pakistan’s rugged terrain in the east.

At its centre lies the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow chokepoint through which 20 percent of global oil and gas flows.

Scattered along this coastline are several islands that host military outposts, energy hubs, and geopolitical leverage points within what analysts describe as Iran’s “strategic architecture” of control.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most critical oil chokepoints and serves as the sole maritime exit for one-fifth of the global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.

Although the strait is only 39km (21 nautical miles) at its narrowest, the actual deep-water lanes required for massive tankers and cargo ships are concentrated in a very small area.

To manage these vessels, the strait is divided into two main shipping lanes, each approximately 3.7km (2 nautical miles) wide, separated by a buffer zone.

A visual guide to Iran's coastline and strategic islands

From the Strait of Hormuz to Kharg Island, Al Jazeera tours 10 key islands, ports and energy hubs shaping Gulf trade.

interactive.aljazeera.com

 

[CBHype]

Are you open to renaming the Strait of Hormuz to the Strait of Trump?

 

[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad]

US naval blockade violates international law, says American analyst​

Daniel Lazare, an American international affairs analyst and author, asserts that the United States’ imposition of naval blockades constitutes a clear violation of international law.

In an exclusive interview, Lazare argued that Washington consistently infringes upon the rights of other nations, a practice Donald Trump has pursued with extreme fervor under the guise of sovereign authority.

He also warned that its impact on the global economy is extensive, with many countries already being harmed, and this trend is expected to continue for years to come.

Asked about his assessment on the beginning of the naval blockade and the violation of the fundamental principles of the Law of the Sea, Lazare said: “The blockade clearly violates international law on multiple grounds.”

Answering a question about the increase in global oil prices and the energy crisis in the world in the aftermath of the war between the United States and Israel against Iran, Lazare noted: “The impact on the global economy is tremendous. Many countries are suffering and will continue to do so for years to come, Iran first and foremost, but also developing countries that are heavily in debt, European nations reliant on energy imports, plus US consumers as well. If the war ends quickly, the consequences may not be too terrible. But the damage will still linger under the best of circumstances. If, on the other hand, the war continues, then the outlook will grow more and more grim.”

In response to a question about whether the infringement on the rights of third countries and legitimate maritime trade under international law had occurred, Lazare said: “Yes, the US is obviously infringing on the rights of other nations. But the US has always considered this a sovereign prerogative, a principle that Trump is taking to an extreme. I think the general trajectory is downward. The cycle of violence in the Middle East is intensifying; Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and the [Persian] Gulf monarchies are reeling, and even if there is a truce, it will undoubtedly be short-lived."

 

[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad]

Is the US blockade on Iran working?​

The US has promised to block ships from Iran’s ports until the country makes a deal to end their war. But is the blockade working?

Analysts and ship-tracking data paint a complicated picture. Shifting objectives and shadowy activity by vessels make the success of the US operation hard to measure.

“There’s been confusion over the scope and the parameters of the blockade because of conflicting information given by the US administration and some delays in when information has been released,” Bridget Diakun, an analyst at the shipping journal Lloyd’s List Intelligence, told AFP.

Tracking data and satellite images analyzed by maritime firms show dozens of ships have passed through the Strait of Hormuz, including Iranian-flagged vessels under US sanctions and vessels going to and from Iranian ports.

Once inside the Gulf, Diakun said, vessels can “spoof” their transponders to hide their positions and even perform ship-to-ship transfers of Iranian oil, testing the terms of the US blockade.

 

[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad]

Firm tracks tanker movements despite US blockade of Iranian ports​

An energy analytics firm said it recorded 34 movements of sanctioned and Iranian-linked tankers in and out of the Gulf in the week after the US imposed a naval blockade.

Vortexa said it identified 19 outbound and 15 inbound movements between 13 April and Monday.

Six outbound tankers were confirmed to be carrying Iranian crude, totalling about 10.7 million barrels.