Iran plans to establish a "no-go zone" near the Strait of Hormuz

Iran says it will establish a "no-go zone" near the Strait of Hormuz in the coming days, raising the stakes in its escalating confrontation with the United States.

Mohsen Rezaei, a senior Iranian security official, said the zone would begin at the U.S. Navy's blockade line and cover parts of the Persian Gulf. Any vessel entering the new area would be placed on Iran's sanctions list, he said in remarks broadcast on state television.

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This area begins at the U.S. Navy's blockade line and covers parts of the Persian Gulf. Every vessel entering this new area will be placed on Iran's sanctions list.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran's parliamentary speaker, said the period of "proportionate retaliation" had ended. Any aggression against Iran's interests and security would now receive a "faster, stronger and more painful" response, he said in a speech carried by state media.

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The time for proportionate retaliation is over.

The warnings came after the United States and Iran again intensified attacks against one another. The United States said on Saturday that its forces had struck three Iranian oil tankers. Iran's Revolutionary Guard then said it had attacked three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, along with three U.S. vessels in other areas.

Iran has maintained a firm grip on the strategically important strait, while Washington has continued its counter-blockade of Iranian ports. The United States has also imposed sanctions on entities with financial ties to Iran in an effort to pressure Tehran to meet its demands.

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Faster, stronger and more painful.