Iran seeks more control of Strait of Hormuz as oil prices climb

Iran is preparing to announce an “exclusion zone” outside the Strait of Hormuz, a move Tehran says would target vessels attempting to pass through the waterway without its permission.

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exclusion zone

Mohsen Rezaei, the new head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said the zone would begin at the line of the U.S. naval blockade, extend toward the Strait of Hormuz, and continue into the Persian Gulf. Speaking to Iran's state broadcaster, he provided few details and said the announcement would come in the coming days and weeks.

The proposal followed a U.S. strike on three Iranian oil tankers in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. The United States said the action permanently disabled the vessels after Tehran launched ballistic missiles at U.S. warships. Iran's speaker of parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, threatened a more forceful response, saying, “The Americans must have understood that the era of proportionate responses has come to an end.”

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more intense and more painful

He added, “Any aggression against Iran's interests and security will receive a faster, more intense and more painful response.” The confrontation has also driven up energy prices. Brent crude rose 67 cents to $96.95 per barrel, while the U.S. average for regular gasoline reached $4.14 a gallon heading into Labor Day weekend, nearly a dollar above the previous year and higher than the prior holiday-weekend record of $3.82 in 2012, according to AAA.

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The Americans must have understood that the era of proportionate responses has come to an end

Oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has plunged, and Iran has refused to reopen the waterway, the report said. The price increases began after U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran in February and have not settled since.

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Any aggression against Iran's interests and security will receive a faster, more intense and more painful response