Iran plans to announce a new restricted maritime zone in the Gulf in the coming days and approve maps for a shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz, according to Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
Rezaei told Iranian state television that the restricted area would begin where the US blockade of Iran starts and extend into parts of the Gulf. He provided few operational details but said vessels entering the zone would be placed on a sanctions list.
Context: Strait of Hormuz Intelligence File · Strait of Hormuz shipping guide · Strait of Hormuz
Iran also intends to publish passage routes for the Strait of Hormuz, where tanker traffic has been heavily curtailed during the conflict. Rezaei said an international corridor running through Iranian and Omani waters had been agreed and was expected to be signed in the coming days, with Iran taking a management role.
Operational context
He linked Iran’s commitment to keeping the strait open to an end to what Tehran describes as US sabotage, threats and attacks.
The announcement followed renewed strikes on shipping after a quieter period during much of August. US Central Command said US forces struck three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday, including one near Kharg Island, after attacks by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps against US warships in the region.
Commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen substantially. Shipping data cited in the report showed an average of 10 commodity vessels per day transited the waterway during the previous 10 days, the lowest level since May. Brent crude rose 0.8% on Monday to above $97 per barrel after strong gains in the preceding week.
Before the conflict, about one-fifth of global oil supplies passed through the strait. US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said more than 9 million barrels per day were currently moving through the waterway. Including pipelines that bypass the strait, he estimated flows were at least two-thirds of pre-conflict levels.
The maritime restrictions form part of a wider confrontation over sanctions and Iranian oil exports. US Central Command said that, as of Sunday, it had redirected 92 commercial vessels, disabled three and boarded two as part of enforcement of the US blockade.
Kharg Island remains central to Iran’s oil trade. Iran, the third-largest producer in OPEC, exported 90% of its crude through the island before the war, according to the report. Flows have been disrupted since the blockade of Iranian oil exports began in mid-April.
Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad said Kharg Island had been struck about 550 times in previous months but remained operational. Iranian officials have also pledged stronger responses to attacks on the country’s interests as sanctions, inflation, unemployment and disruption to oil exports intensify pressure on its economy.