Iran to establish restricted zone outside Strait of Hormuz in coming days

Iran is preparing to announce a new restricted zone near the Strait of Hormuz, extending military restrictions across parts of the Persian Gulf and threatening further disruption to international oil trade.

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s National Security Council, said the zone would begin along the line where the U.S. naval blockade starts and extend into areas of the Gulf. Vessels entering the new perimeter would be placed on Tehran’s sanctions list, according to his comments on Iranian state television.

Rezaei also dismissed reports that the U.S. economic blockade had caused shortages of raw materials in Iran. His remarks came as the Revolutionary Guard reported an attack on an unmanned U.S. surface vessel that was allegedly attempting to enter waters the force considers protected in the strait. “The unmanned surface vehicle intended to enter the protected region of the Strait of Hormuz when it was targeted in an attack,” the Guard said in a statement carried by Tasnim.

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The unmanned surface vehicle intended to enter the protected region of the Strait of Hormuz when it was targeted in an attack.

The Iranian force said the strategic waterway remains under the control of the Islamic Republic. It also claimed that three oil tankers using unauthorized routes and three U.S.-linked vessels, including an aircraft carrier and a naval destroyer, had been attacked the previous night. The Guard said those strikes followed U.S. attacks on three Iranian tankers off Kharg Island on Saturday.

The escalation followed Washington’s heaviest bombardment of Iran in more than a month. Iranian authorities said the strikes killed at least 19 people, including four at a wedding. Tehran then bombed U.S. military bases in Kuwait, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. Iran has blocked the Strait of Hormuz since the war began on February 28, requiring ships to obtain permission to pass and sharply reducing oil exports. The United States has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports and vessels and has recently restored part of maritime traffic through a southern route near Oman, according to experts cited in the report.

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This strategic waterway is under the control of the Islamic Republic of Iran.