Tehran Expands Enforcement Zone Beyond Strait of Hormuz

Tehran is planning to expand its enforcement mechanism beyond the Strait of Hormuz to include the area between the American blockade line and Iran's oil-loading terminals.

The announcement was made by Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, who said that 'in the coming days, we will announce a new exclusion zone' in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

Any vessel traveling on either side of Hormuz toward the strait without coordinating its passage with Iran could be placed on an Iranian sanctions list, affecting its insurance and ability to transit the area in the future.

The move is seen as an attempt by Tehran to build a reverse mechanism to the American sanctions system, which forces shipping companies, insurers, and banks to choose between doing business with Iran and retaining access to the American market.