Zone to stretch from US Navy blockade line across Persian Gulf waters

'Any vessel entering the zone will be placed on Iran's sanctions list'

Iran says it test-fired anti-ship missile over US warship for the first time in history

Security guarantees cited as biggest obstacle in ceasefire talks

A cargo ship is anchored in the Strait of Hormuz near Bandar Abbas, Iran, on Sunday (local time). [AP]
A cargo ship is anchored in the Strait of Hormuz near Bandar Abbas, Iran, on Sunday (local time). [AP]

Iran's top security official announced plans to declare a new maritime control zone beyond the Strait of Hormuz within days.

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary-general of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), said in an interview with state broadcaster IRIB on Sunday (local time) that Iran would "officially announce a restricted zone beyond the Strait of Hormuz within days."

"This zone will extend from the blockade line set by the US Navy across the waters of the Persian Gulf," Rezaei said, warning that "any vessel entering the newly designated zone will be placed on Iran's sanctions list."

Rezaei also directly challenged US claims that the Strait of Hormuz remains open and said Iran had carried out military action targeting American warships.

"Donald Trump's claim that the Strait of Hormuz is open is a blatant lie — the strait is currently under complete blockade," he said. "In the past, more than 100 ships a day carried over 100 million tons of cargo through it. Now, at most seven or eight vessels are transporting essential supplies for Iran."

He added that "48 hours ago, for the first time in history, Iran test-fired a special anti-ship missile over a US Navy warship," claiming the missile "brought hell to the Americans and they fled."

Rezaei said the United States was spending enormous sums to operate five or six smuggling vessels, which he said had also become targets. He added that Iran had refrained from sinking them because they were carrying oil and doing so would cause serious environmental damage.

Rezaei also shrugged off claims by some that US economic sanctions had triggered a severe famine inside Iran. "The famine story is a massive American lie," he said. "The Iranian government has been preparing for this for a long time and has sufficient stockpiles of food and essential supplies."

On ceasefire negotiations, he said the United States must first earn Iran's trust if it wishes to continue talks, placing the blame for the current deadlock on Washington.

"Our biggest problem during discussions on a ceasefire MOU was the question of security guarantees provided by the negotiating mediators," he said. "Iran continues its diplomatic efforts with the goal of securing firm guarantees."

Rezaei also said Iran expected to sign within days a navigational chart for vessel transit lanes through the Strait of Hormuz, agreed upon with Oman as part of ongoing negotiations over managing the waterway.


kate01@heraldcorp.com