Iran Threatens 'Restricted Zone' Beyond Strait of Hormuz Amid Escalating Tensions With US

Tehran announced plans to establish a "restricted zone" outside the Strait of Hormuz within days following a weekend of military escalation that saw the US strike three Iranian oil tankers and Iran launch attacks on American warships.

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, stated in a state television interview late on Sunday that the new zone would begin at the US blockade line and extend into parts of the Gulf. "Any ship entering the new zone will be added to a sanctions list," he warned.

Mr Rezaei also announced that Iran and Oman had reached an agreement on a new shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz. However, he provided no coordinates for the proposed zone and offered no operational details on how the threatened sanctions would be enforced. "The maps of a new international corridor which lies in Iranian and Omani waters and in which Iran will have management have been agreed and should be signed in the coming days," he said, adding that the purported memorandum has been under discussion since a fragile ceasefire took effect in mid-June.

"We will only commit to the Strait of Hormuz being open when they [the Americans] stop the sabotage, threats and attacks on Iran," Mr Rezaei stated.

An analysis accompanying the statement suggested the zone could expand Iranian oversight toward vessels entering the Gulf of Oman, though an unofficial map left the precise boundaries unclear. The move appears aimed at creating uncertainty around Gulf access, potentially increasing risks for shipowners, insurers, and traders while Tehran argues the strait itself remains open.

Commercial traffic through the waterway has already dropped significantly, with an average of only 10 commodity ships crossing daily over the past 10 days—the lowest level since May. Meanwhile, Brent crude climbed above $97 a barrel on Monday.

The tensions follow US Central Command strikes on three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday—including one off Kharg Island—following attacks by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on American warships. Last week, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf declared that the era of "proportional responses" had ended, warning that future attacks would receive a "faster, heavier and more painful response".