By The Numbers - part the one hundredth

Have you ever wondered how the Strait of Hormuz fits in the territorial waters figure? I sure have, and finally looked it up. There are more claimed than you can count, but the minimalist one is our olde friend the 12 mile limit. Turns out that Iran and Oman control the narrowest passage area, 21 miles, with their mutual 12 mile limits. So, those who claim that the Strait is "international waters" are just lying. That such had historically been the case... well fuck you Emporer Nero The Donald (better than Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, and Napoleon Bonaparte). I love it.

In 1959, Iran altered the legal status of the strait by expanding its territorial sea to 12 nmi (22 km) and declaring it would recognize only transit by innocent passage through the newly expanded area. In 1972, Oman also expanded its territorial sea to 12 nmi (22 km) by decree.[21] Thus, by 1972, the Strait of Hormuz was completely "closed" by the combined territorial waters of Iran and Oman. In 1971, Iran took over the Greater and Lesser Tunbs islands west of Hormuz against Arab wishes, thereby extending control of the navigation channels.

That's a great catch that Catch-22.