Iran says it will declare ‘prohibited zone’ near Strait of Hormuz in coming days

Iran's top security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, has announced that his country will establish a "prohibited zone" near the strategic Strait of Hormuz in the coming days. According to Rezaei, the zone will start from the US Navy's blockade line and include areas of the Persian Gulf. Any ship entering this new zone will be placed on Iran's sanctions list.

The announcement comes after a sharp exchange of attacks between the US and Iran, with Washington hitting Iranian oil tankers and Tehran striking back at US warships in the Gulf. The Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for global oil shipments, has seen severely disrupted tanker traffic amid the conflict. According to the US, as many as 17 million barrels had transited on one day, but Reuters reported that only four vessels crossed the strait during one period, compared with a 10-day average of 13.

Rezaei also stated that Iran has worked out shipping-route maps with Oman for the Strait of Hormuz, which are expected to be signed soon. The US energy secretary has expressed doubt about a nuclear deal with Iran, but noted that Iran's ability to build a bomb may be destroyed. Oil prices have extended gains after US-Iran retaliatory strikes, with global benchmark Brent crude holding near $97 a barrel.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Times of Israel, Malay Mail, Live Mint, The Indian Express, Gulf News — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.