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Iran will declare a new "restricted" maritime zone outside the Strait of Hormuz in the coming days, according to Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, warning that any vessel entering the area will be added to a sanctions list.
In a televised interview, Mohsen Rezaei indicated that the zone will start from the US Navy's blockade line and extend into parts of the Gulf, according to Iranian state television Press TV.
"Any vessel entering this new zone will be added to a sanctions list," the Iranian authority affirmed.
Rezaei also noted that Iran and Oman will sign an agreement in the coming days on the new corridor through Hormuz, with its entry and exit points under Iranian control.
The security council secretary assured that the Strait of Hormuz is "completely closed and under the control of the armed forces," calling US President Donald Trump's claim that the strategic waterway remained open a "big lie."
"Before Iran closed the strait, more than 100 vessels carrying over 100 million tons of cargo crossed it daily," Rezaei indicated, adding that currently only seven to eight vessels with essential goods for Iran transit through the maritime route.
"The Americans are trying to smuggle five to six vessels at an enormous cost, but these ships are usually hit," the Iranian authority noted, without offering further details.
Rezaei explained that Iran decided not to sink the vessels because they were carrying oil and doing so would have damaged the region's environment. He also stated that his country successfully tested a new anti-ship missile on a US Navy vessel 48 hours earlier.
"For the first time, we tested our anti-ship missile on a US warship. This special missile unleashed hell for the Americans, and they fled," Rezaei declared, without identifying the unit or specifying the location of the test.
Separately, he rejected claims that the US economic blockade is causing widespread famine in Iran. "The claim that the US economic blockade is causing a great famine in Iran is a big lie," Rezaei told Iranian state channel IRIB.
"The Iranian government has been preparing for this for a long time and has sufficient reserves of food and essential goods," he added.
Regional tensions have escalated since attacks between the US, Israel, and Iran began on February 28, to which Tehran responded with missile and drone launches against Israel and US interests throughout the region.
Iran and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding mediated by Pakistan and Qatar in June, outlining steps to end hostilities, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and address economic restrictions.
Since then, both parties have accused each other of breaching the commitments made in the memorandum, while military tensions persist in parallel with disputes over sanctions and navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
