The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) primary naval base at Iran's Qeshm Island, that is believed to be collecting toll from commercial ships passing through a new shipping corridor established by Tehran, has been hit by airstrikes, causing large fires at the facility.
A satellite image captured by the European Space Agency shows columns of smoke billowing from the naval base situated at the northeastern tip of Qeshm Island on Thursday.
Qeshm is the largest Iranian island in the Gulf, stretching for around one hundred kilometres across the Strait of Hormuz.
An analysis of the image by NDTV Datafy suggests fires at four warehouses scattered across the waterfront infrastructure and support buildings at the base.
The naval base primarily hosts IRGC Navy's fast attack craft that are used to harass shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz, which handles around fifth of global energy flows, after the US and Israel launched coordinated airstrikes on Iran on February 28.
In mid-March, the IRGC established a dedicated corridor in its territorial waters to control the movement of commercial ships in the strait. Reports suggest IRGC collects millions in tolls from ships passing through the corridor.
The massive toll marked a new approach to controlling the critical waterway, Iranian lawmaker Alaeddin Boroujerdi, who is a member of the parliament's national security committee, told state broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), according to an Iran International report.
According to Boroujerdi, the move reflects what he called a new "sovereign regime" in the strait after decades. "Collecting $2 million as transit fees from some vessels crossing the strait reflects Iran's strength," Boroujerdi said.
