Iran Plans Restricted Gulf Zone and New Hormuz Corridor

Iran plans to announce a new restricted zone in the Gulf in the coming days, along with maps of a new shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz. The zone will begin where the US blockade of Iran starts and extend into other parts of the Gulf. Any vessel entering it will be added to a sanctions list.

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said maps for the corridor through Iranian and Omani waters had already been agreed and were expected to be signed in the coming days. Iran will have a management role in the corridor.

Rezaei said Iran would only commit to keeping the Strait of Hormuz open if the United States halted attacks, threats and acts of sabotage. Before the war, around one-fifth of global oil supplies passed through the strait.

After a lull in fighting for much of August, tit-for-tat strikes have resumed. On Saturday, US forces struck three Iranian oil tankers, including one off Kharg Island, following attacks by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on US warships in the region.

An average of 10 commodity ships a day passed through the strait over the past 10 days, the lowest level since May. Brent crude rose above $97 a barrel.

As of Sunday, US Central Command said it had redirected 92 commercial vessels, disabled three and boarded two as part of its blockade. Tehran, meanwhile, says it will respond to US economic pressure with domestic reforms.

(Reuters, bak)