Larak-Qeshm

Larak-Qeshm is a shallow-water channel in the eastern Strait of Hormuz running north of Larak Island and south of Qeshm Island in Hormozgan Province, Iran. During the 2026 Iran conflict, Iranian oil tankers began routing through this corridor to avoid US CENTCOM port-interdiction orders, allowing IRGC Navy vessels to inspect transiting ships for a fee. Windward maritime intelligence confirmed 11 of 19 large vessels near Larak Island on 15 April via synthetic-aperture radar, and recorded 117 dark fleet vessels in the Gulf as part of broader data contradicting CENTCOM's claim of a complete halt to Iran's maritime trade.

Larak Island sits at 26°51′N 56°21′E in the Strait of Hormuz at the narrowest passage between Iran and Oman, approximately 24 nautical miles wide. Iran established an oil export terminal there in June 1986 after Iraqi strikes damaged Kharg Island during the Iran-Iraq War. The island hosts Chinese-made Silkworm HY-2 surface-to-surface missiles placed in 1987. Qeshm Island, to the north-west, is the largest island in the Persian Gulf and a designated free trade zone with substantial IRGC logistics infrastructure. The channel between them forms a controlled corridor where IRGC Navy can exercise chokepoint authority without entering the open Strait proper.

The strategic significance of the Larak-Qeshm corridor has increased sharply since IRGC-linked media published a mine danger chart for the area on 9 April 2026. The chart's publication simultaneously serves as a deterrent against CENTCOM interdiction vessels entering the channel and as a legal signal that mines may be deployed. Northwood planners drafting Hormuz rules of engagement for the week of 20 April must address the Larak-Qeshm corridor specifically: a defensive maritime mission that excludes the channel leaves the main economic bypass route unprotected.