Iran Sets up New Navy Base in Strait of Hormuz

MOSCOW--- (RIA Novosti) Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has established a new naval base in the Strait of Hormuz, the export route for around 25 percent of the world's crude oil, the Fars news agency said on Sunday.

The base, the fifth in the region, is located near Iran's southern port city of Bandar Lengeh in the Hormozgan province, some 1,100 km (700 miles) south of the capital Tehran.

IRGC Navy Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi said the zone of operations would cover an area from Qeshm Island and Naze'aat Islands region to the western waters of the Kish Island.

"The fifth naval zone was started to provide operational coverage for the Naze'aat Islands, bring about a turning point and start a new trend in the region," the agency quoted Fadavi as saying at the opening ceremony.

Iran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz at the end of the Persian Gulf in response to any attack from outside. Iran’s largest naval bases are at the head of the Gulf, around 450 kilometers from the strait, which is just 45 kilometers wide at its narrowest point.