OMM Redaksiyası
Tensions between Iran and the United States have escalated further over plans to establish a new “restricted maritime zone” in the Strait of Hormuz.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports, citing foreign media outlets, that the announcement was made in this regard.
Tehran said the Strait of Hormuz would not be fully reopened to shipping unless the United States stopped what Iran described as provocations, threats and attacks against the country.
Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said the new zone would extend from the line where the US maritime blockade around Iran allegedly began to parts of the Persian Gulf.
He said vessels entering the area and identified as intending to pass through the Strait of Hormuz would be placed on Iran’s sanctions list.
Rezaei also said maps for a new international corridor for passage through the Strait of Hormuz would be prepared and approved.
According to him, the corridor would pass through Iranian and Omani waters, with Iran playing the main role in its management.
Mohsen Rezaei said Iran would continue both its military and economic struggle against the United States.
He said Tehran would respond to economic pressure by establishing a maritime restriction zone along the Persian Gulf and that Iran’s operational stance toward US warships and bases had changed fundamentally.
The Strait of Hormuz is a vital global shipping route linking the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. A significant share of the world’s oil shipments passes through the waterway, making any restrictions there potentially important for regional security and international energy markets.
