Kuh-e Mubarak
A promontory on the Iranian coast used by the Persian Gulf Strait Authority as the eastern boundary reference point of its declared Hormuz controlled maritime zone.
Last refreshed: 22 May 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Why did Iran anchor its Hormuz maritime zone at an obscure coastal mountain?
Timeline for Kuh-e Mubarak
Designated as eastern boundary start of PGSA controlled maritime zone
Iran Conflict 2026: Iran charts Hormuz with formal PGSA coordinates- Where is Kuh-e Mubarak and why does it matter for the Strait of Hormuz?
- Kuh-e Mubarak is a coastal promontory on Iran's Hormozgan coast. Iran's PGSA designated it the eastern anchor of its claimed maritime controlled zone on 20 May 2026, pairing it with Fujairah (UAE) to define the zone's eastern boundary.Source: PGSA coordinate publication
- What is the PGSA controlled zone at the Strait of Hormuz?
- Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority declared a maritime zone requiring all vessels to obtain Iranian authorisation. The zone's eastern boundary runs from Kuh-e Mubarak (Iran) to Fujairah (UAE); the western boundary from Qeshm Island to Umm Al-Quwain.Source: PGSA coordinate publication
- Why did Iran choose Kuh-e Mubarak as a boundary point for the Hormuz zone?
- The promontory provides cartographic clarity on maritime charts as a prominent coastal feature, and its position on Hormozgan's coast aligns with Iran's IRGC Navy operational zone centred on Bandar Abbas.Source: event
Background
Kuh-e Mubarak gained international attention on 20 May 2026 when Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority published the formal coordinates of its claimed maritime controlled zone at the Strait of Hormuz. The zone's eastern boundary runs from Kuh-e Mubarak (Iran's Hormozgan coast) to southern Fujairah (UAE), placing the promontory at the pivot point of the most consequential unilateral maritime claim in the Gulf since Iran mined the waterway in 1987. All vessels inside the zone must obtain PGSA authorisation; no fee schedule has yet been published.
Kuh-e Mubarak sits on Hormozgan Province's coast, the Iranian administrative region that encompasses the Strait of Hormuz and the islands of Qeshm, Hormuz, and Larak. Hormozgan hosts the IRGC Navy's main base at Bandar Abbas and has served as the operational staging ground for Iran's naval posture throughout the 2026 conflict. The choice of Kuh-e Mubarak as the eastern reference point likely reflects its prominence as a coastal feature visible from maritime charts, giving the claim cartographic clarity without requiring a man-made structure.
The eastern boundary pair — Kuh-e Mubarak to Fujairah — is strategically significant because Fujairah lies outside the Strait proper, on the Gulf of Oman coast. A boundary terminating there would encompass the approaches used by oil tankers that bypass the Strait via the Habshan-Fujairah pipeline offloading terminal. Secretary of State Rubio described the PGSA zone as "completely illegal" on 21 May.
