Iran Announces 'Exclusion Zone' Amid Renewed Conflict With US
The Strait of Hormuz has become a critical battleground in the ongoing conflict between Iran and the US. According to new plans announced by Iranian Supreme National Security Council head Mohsen Rezaei, Tehran will establish an 'exclusion zone' outside the strait aimed at vessels it believes are attempting to transit the waterway.
The zone is expected to begin from the line of the US naval blockade and extend into the Persian Gulf. Any ship that enters this area with the intention of passing through the Strait of Hormuz will be placed on Iran's sanctions list, Rezaei said.
This move comes after a week of renewed fighting between the two nations. The US military has confirmed that it struck three Iranian oil tankers in response to Tehran launching ballistic missiles at US warships. In a statement, the US dismissed Iran's claim that it struck an unmanned US vessel trying to enter the Strait of Hormuz as a 'total lie.'
The conflict escalated last week after a month of relative calm. At least five people were killed earlier in the week during a US bombardment that returned attention to the area where a school was hit in the war's opening strikes.