Iran Declares New Restricted Zone Outside Strait of Hormuz, Threatens Sanctions

Razaei said that in the coming days, a new restricted zone will be declared outside the Strait of Hormuz. According to him, this zone will start from what Iran is calling the US naval blockade line and will extend to parts of the Persian Gulf. Iran has given a clear warning that any ship entering the newly declared zone will be put on the sanctions list. This means that Iran's restrictions on maritime movement cannot be limited to the Strait of Hormuz. Mohsen Razaei claimed that Iran is watching and destroying US smuggled ships. However, he said that Iran has not deliberately decided to sink these ships. He argues that these ships contain oil and their sinking could harm the environment of the region. According to Razaei, Iran had also targeted some US military bases, but some locations in the Strait of Jordan have not been marked for attack.