According to Iran, the proposed area would stretch from the location of the US naval blockade towards the Strait of Hormuz and further into the Persian Gulf.
Iran is preparing to establish a new “exclusion zone” near the Strait of Hormuz, with Tehran warning that vessels attempting to use the strategically vital waterway could be identified and placed under sanctions.
Mohsen Rezaei, the newly appointed head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, announced the plan in comments to Iranian state television on Sunday. He said details of the zone would be made public in the coming days or weeks.
According to Rezaei, the proposed area would stretch from the location of the US naval blockade towards the Strait of Hormuz and further into the Persian Gulf.
“The new zone should be announced in the coming days and weeks and “will begin from the line of the U.S. naval blockade, extend toward the Strait of Hormuz, and from this side continue into the Persian Gulf,” Rezaei said.
“Any ship that enters this area with the intention of passing through the Strait of Hormuz and is identified will be placed on our sanctions list,” he added.
The announcement comes amid a sharp escalation between Washington and Tehran. A day earlier, the United States struck three Iranian oil tankers after Iran launched ballistic missiles towards US warships.
US Blockade Adds To Hormuz Tensions
The exact geographical limits of the US blockade referenced by Rezaei remain unclear. Washington has been using the blockade to restrict Iranian oil exports and increase economic pressure on Tehran.
The US military has said that more than 20 warships are involved in enforcing the blockade. As of Sunday, the operation had resulted in 92 commercial vessels being redirected and three being disabled, according to the US military.
Iran has continued to target or challenge vessels attempting to navigate the Strait of Hormuz, turning the waterway into one of its most important sources of leverage during the ongoing conflict.
Earlier on Sunday, Tehran claimed that it had struck an unmanned US vessel attempting to enter the strait. The US military rejected the claim, calling it a “total lie.”
Fighting Resumes After Weeks Of Relative Calm
The latest confrontation follows the resumption of US-Iran attacks last week after roughly a month of relative calm. The renewed fighting has again brought the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s southern coastline into the centre of the conflict.
At least five people were killed earlier in the week during US strikes, including in an attack that renewed attention on the area where a school had been hit during the opening phase of the war.
The Trump administration is simultaneously pursuing military and economic pressure on Tehran. Alongside responding to attacks around the strait, Washington has moved against foreign financial institutions accused of facilitating Iranian financial activity.
Iran’s leadership, meanwhile, has indicated that it intends to withstand the pressure. Tehran has spent decades developing methods to bypass sanctions and continues to seek ways to sell its oil despite the US blockade.
Iran Seeks Guarantees In Diplomacy
Rezaei also criticised the handling of the now-collapsed negotiations between Washington and Tehran, expressing doubts about both the United States and the countries that had acted as intermediaries.
The memorandum of understanding reached by the two sides in mid-June deteriorated within days, with Washington and Tehran accusing each other of breaching its terms.
“We had trusted our friends in Pakistan, Qatar or Oman, thinking that since they had stepped in as mediators, one of a mediator’s responsibilities is that if one side violates the agreement, they should stop them,” Rezaei said. “We are now pursuing diplomacy with guarantees,” he added.