Iran to declare exclusion zone near Strait of Hormuz, says security chief

Iran's top security official has announced that Tehran will soon declare a restricted exclusion zone in the waters outside the Strait of Hormuz, a move that could further escalate tensions with the United States.

Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said in an interview aired on state television that the zone would be established in the coming days or weeks. He described it as a prohibited area, adding that any ship entering with the intention of passing through the Strait of Hormuz would be identified and placed on Iran's sanctions list.

Rezaei said the zone would stretch from the line of the U.S. naval blockade toward the Strait of Hormuz and continue into the Persian Gulf. He did not specify the exact boundaries of the U.S. blockade, which Washington has imposed to curb Iranian oil exports.

The announcement comes a day after the United States struck three Iranian oil tankers in response to Tehran's launch of ballistic missiles at U.S. warships. Rezaei claimed that Iran had tested an anti-ship missile against a U.S. vessel for the first time since the 12-day war, describing the scene as "hellish" and saying the ship fled.

Rezaei also dismissed claims of a U.S.-induced famine in Iran, asserting that the government has sufficient reserves of food and essential goods. He acknowledged that while daily transits through the Strait of Hormuz have fallen sharply from over 100 ships to just seven or eight, Iran continues to manage a corridor for entry and exit in coordination with Oman.

He warned that Iran retains the right to respond to a U.S. attack on a wedding ceremony, and that ships attempting to bypass Iranian controls often face damage, though Tehran has avoided sinking them to prevent environmental contamination.