Iran to declare new ‘restricted zone’ beyond Strait of Hormuz, SNSC secretary says

In a televised interview on Sunday night, Major General Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, said the zone “will begin from the US Navy’s blockade line and extend into parts of the Persian Gulf,” covering the stretch toward loading ports.

Ships that move toward the strait from either side and enter the designated area, he said, will face sanctions with consequences for insurance and future passage.

He also made clear that the Strait of Hormuz is “completely closed and under the control of the armed forces,” dismissing US President Donald Trump’s claim that the strategic waterway remains open as a “big lie.”

Rezaei said that before Iran closed the strait, more than 100 ships carrying over 100 million tons of cargo passed through it daily. Now, he said, only seven to eight ships carrying essential goods for Iran are transiting the waterway.

“The Americans are trying to smuggle five to six vessels through at great expense, but these ships are usually struck,” Rezaei said. He added that Iran has not decided to sink the smuggling vessels, as they carry oil and would damage the region’s environment.

He further announced that a memorandum on a new corridor in the Strait of Hormuz will be signed in the coming days, with entry and exit fully under Iran’s management. Tehran, he stressed, will give no commitment to reopen the waterway unless Washington ends threats and aggression and restores Iran’s trust.

Iran tested anti-ship missile over US Navy vessel

The top security official also revealed that Iran has successfully tested a new anti-ship missile, saying the test was conducted above a US Navy ship just 48 hours ago.

“For the first time, we tested our anti-ship missile above an American warship,” he said. “This special missile created hell for the Americans, and they fled.”

Rezaei said even US Central Command could not conceal the strike, calling it a warning that the American naval blockade is vulnerable.

He said Trump had planned a 10-day war against Iran, but surprise Iranian attacks on US support bases and troop positions, including the Titan base in Jordan and sites in Erbil, forced Washington to abandon that plan on the first day.

The SNSC secretary also said Iran reserves the right to respond to a US attack on a wedding ceremony in Sirik.

On the resistance front, he said that despite temporary Zionist advances in parts of Lebanon, Hezbollah still holds the upper hand and accumulated public anger will prevent any lasting Israeli presence.

Rezaei rejected claims of shortages inside Iran, saying oil sales continue, revenues are returning to the country, and strategic reserves of basic goods remain stable.

America’s long-standing policy, he said, has been to turn Iran into a dependent state stripped of capability, a design the Iranian nation has blocked through unity around the leadership.

Back in July, Iran's Parliament formally introduced the “Strategic Action Plan for Ensuring Security and Sustainable Development of the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf” to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has restricted transit through the Strait of Hormuz since the early days of the US-Israeli war of aggression that began on February 28 and came to a halt under a ceasefire in early April amid the Islamic Republic’s brave resistance and successful retaliatory operations.

On June 17, Tehran and Washington signed the Pakistan-brokered Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), whose Article 5 places responsibility for reopening and managing the strait squarely in Iran’s hands.

However, the US attempted to undermine Iran’s sovereignty over the vital global energy chokepoint by establishing an unsafe corridor near the Omani shores. The US also resumed its aerial assaults on Iran and imposed a naval blockade of the country in violation of the war-ending deal.

The unlawful US measures prompted Iran to declare the Strait of Hormuz closed to all traffic.

The Islamic Republic has stressed that the reopening of the critical waterway depends on US compliance with its obligations under the MoU.