Iran will announce a restricted maritime zone outside the Strait of Hormuz in the coming days, with vessels entering the area without prior coordination with Tehran facing sanctions, a senior Iranian security official has said.
Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said the zone would extend from the point where the US naval blockade begins to the Strait of Hormuz and into the Persian Gulf on the opposite side of the waterway.
Speaking to state-run IRIB TV, Rezaei said vessels entering the zone without prior coordination would be placed on Iran’s sanctions list, with possible consequences for their insurance coverage and future access to the waterway.
He said the measure formed part of a broader shift in Iran’s military and diplomatic strategy aimed at increasing pressure on the United States.
Rezaei also maintained that the Strait of Hormuz remained completely closed, dismissing US claims that ships and oil tankers continued to transit the waterway.
He alleged that some vessels had attempted to use a route near Oman, with some switching off their navigation systems to avoid detection.
According to Rezaei, Iran had intercepted most of the vessels but was not currently seeking to sink them because of concerns over potential environmental damage.
The Iranian official also claimed that Tehran had recently test-fired a domestically developed anti-destroyer missile over a US aircraft carrier, describing the move as a warning that the American naval blockade could be challenged.
“The special missile created hell for the Americans, and they fled,” Rezaei said.
He said the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until Washington took practical steps to meet its obligations under a memorandum of understanding on peace signed by Iran and the United States in June.
Rezaei added that Iran and Oman would announce a new international corridor for vessels seeking to pass through the strait in the coming days.
He said the corridor would be managed by Iran.
The latest development follows the escalation of hostilities after US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. Tehran subsequently restricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz, while US forces imposed a naval blockade targeting vessels travelling to and from Iranian ports and coastal areas.
