Iran to impose restricted shipping zone near Strait of Hormuz

Iran plans to establish a restricted maritime zone near the Strait of Hormuz. According to Mohsen Rezaei, the country's top security official, the zone will stretch from the US naval blockade into parts of the Gulf. Any vessel that enters the zone will be placed on Iran's sanctions list.

The zone is expected to be announced in the coming days, with Iran and Oman also set to sign new maps regulating maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. The move is seen as an escalation in tensions, with experts warning of the dangers of such actions.

The Strait of Hormuz has been a point of contention, with Iran and the US having engaged in previous military actions in the area. The US military had previously struck three Iranian oil tankers in response to Navy warships being targeted with ballistic missiles. Iran has also claimed to have struck an unmanned US vessel trying to enter the Strait of Hormuz, although the US military has dismissed this claim as a "total lie".

Brief written by urgent.news from Middle East Eye, Gulf News, The Times of Israel, PBS NewsHour, Global News — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.