Iran’s top security official has announced that a new restricted zone will be declared outside the Strait of Hormuz in the coming days, and that any vessel entering the area without coordination with them will be placed on an Iranian sanctions list.
Major General Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) said that the zone will begin from the US Navy’s blockade line and extend into parts of the Persian Gulf. Ships that move toward the strait from either side and enter this area will face sanctions, the Iranian State Media reported.
Rezaei said that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has dropped sharply since Iran closed the waterway and that only seven to eight ships carrying essential goods for Iran are now transiting, compared with more than 100 sships before.
Rezaei also claimed U.S. vessels attempting to pass through the strait have been struck. He said Iran has refrained from sinking them because of the environmental risks posed by their oil cargo.
