Iran vil opprette forbudssone utenfor Hormuz-stredet

The United States Navy has already established a blockade line in the Persian Gulf. Iran's naval blockade aims to undermine America's restriction and disrupt the area. International media reports that any ship entering the new zone will be placed on a sanctions list according to Rezaei. The zone will begin from the US Navy blockade line and extend to areas in the Persian Gulf, says Rezaei in an interview.

Hormuz Strait is "completely closed and controlled by armed forces," says Rezai in the interview, according to Bloomberg. The conflict between the US and Iran flared up on Tuesday evening when CENTCOM announced that American forces attacked targets belonging to the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) in Iran. The background was reportedly Iranian attempts to attack commercial ships.

Iran responded with airstrikes on American interests in various parts of the Middle East, including the Kurdistan region, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan. Despite President Trump insisting that Hormuz Strait is open for shipping traffic, shipping data shows that traffic through the strategic waterway remains far below pre-conflict levels.

According to Rezaei, the US attempts to "smuggle" five to six ships at a time through the Strait, and these are "usually attacked." He says Iran avoids sinking the ships because they carry oil, which would result in environmental damage. Earlier on Sunday, the IRGC announced that they had attacked an American marine drone that was reportedly attempting to enter a "protected area" within the Hormuz Strait.