TEHRAN — Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) has announced plans to declare a comprehensive new “restricted zone” extending beyond the Strait of Hormuz into the Persian Gulf. The move significantly heightens the maritime standoff with the United States and asserts Tehran’s operational control over critical shipping corridors.
In a lengthy televised interview on Sunday night, Major General Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the SNSC, detailed the strategic parameters of the upcoming security measure.
He stated that the boundary “will begin from the US Navy’s blockade line and extend into parts of the Persian Gulf,” directly enveloping access points leading toward major regional oil loading terminals. Under the incoming policy, any commercial or military vessel attempting to transit the designated sector without explicit prior authorization and tactical coordination with Iranian maritime authorities will be added to an official Iranian sanctions list.
Rezaei noted that entry into the restricted zone under these conditions will carry immediate punitive financial consequences, jeopardizing international maritime insurance policies and permanently barring non-compliant vessels from future passage through the strategic waterway.
Addressing current operational conditions, Rezaei forcefully rejected statements by US President Donald Trump claiming that the vital energy corridor remains accessible to global trade. He dismissed Washington’s account as a “big lie” and confirmed that the Strait of Hormuz is “completely closed and under the control of the armed forces”. To illustrate the severity of the closure, the SNSC chief provided sharp comparative transit metrics. Before the conflict, more than 100 ships carrying over 100 million tons of cargo navigated the strait daily. Currently, that traffic has collapsed to just seven or eight vessels per day, exclusively transporting essential supplies for Iran. “The Americans are trying to smuggle five to six vessels through at great expense, but these ships are usually struck,” Rezaei said.
He explained that while Iranian forces regularly intercept and neutralize these illegal crossings, Tehran has intentionally avoided sinking targeted oil tankers to prevent catastrophic environmental contamination across the Persian Gulf.
Missile test above US warship
Expanding on recent military developments, Rezaei revealed that Iranian forces executed a direct tactical operation against US naval assets operating in the area. He disclosed that 48 hours before his broadcast (on Sunday night), Iran successfully deployed and tested a newly developed, advanced anti-ship missile system in immediate proximity to an active American naval vessel. “For the first time, we tested our anti-ship missile above an American warship,” Rezaei stated. “This special missile created hell for the Americans, and they fled.”
According to Rezaei, the impact of the test was so severe that even US Central Command (CENTCOM) could not conceal the psychological disruption to its forces. Iranian media outlets further reported that the advanced anti-ship system forced the targeted US Navy warship to break formation, abandon its operational vector, and rapidly alter course to retreat from the sector.
Rezaei characterized the maneuver as concrete proof that Washington’s naval blockade remains fundamentally vulnerable to Iranian defensive strikes.
Rezaei also provided detailed context regarding the initial outbreak of the US-Israeli war on February 28. He revealed that Trump had originally mapped out a swift, 10-day military campaign designed to neutralize Iranian defense infrastructure. However, Washington was forced to abandon its offensive plan on the very first day following surprise retaliatory strikes by Iranian armed forces. Iran has targeted key US support hubs and troop concentrations across the region, including high-precision strikes against the American Titan base in Jordan and military positions in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan. “Trump backed down from the 10-day war he had announced, and it was aborted in its infancy,” Rezaei explained, emphasizing that Iran’s rapid retaliatory doctrine fundamentally disrupted Washington’s strategic calculations. The top security official also highlighted ongoing grievances, stating that Iran maintains its full sovereign right to respond to a lethal US attack that targeted a civilian wedding ceremony in Sirik.
Israeli aggression in Lebanon
Turning to broader regional security, Rezaei evaluated the ongoing confrontation in southern Lebanon, asserting that despite localized tactical movements by Israeli forces, Hezbollah continues to maintain strategic superiority. He added that growing public hostility across the region would render any prolonged Israeli military presence unsustainable.
The current confrontation between Iran and the US follows months of volatile military and diplomatic maneuvering. Transit through the Strait of Hormuz has been heavily restricted since the start of hostilities on February 28. Following the April 8 ceasefire that paused the war, Iran and the US signed a memorandum of understanding on June 17. Crucially, Article 5 of the MoU granted Tehran full legal and administrative authority over the reopening and management of the Strait. However, the agreement deteriorated rapidly after Washington attempted to bypass Iranian sovereignty by establishing an unauthorized maritime transit corridor near Omani territorial waters, accompanied by renewed aerial operations and an illegal naval blockade.
In response, Tehran exercised its authority under the MoU to declare the Strait fully closed to unauthorized traffic. Rezaei announced that a formal memorandum regarding a newly designed, Iranian-managed transit corridor through the Strait will be signed with Omani officials in the coming days. However, he firmly reiterated that Tehran will not commit to opening the passage for US-aligned shipping until Washington completely halts its military aggression, lifts its blockade, and takes concrete steps to restore diplomatic trust.
Trump’s domestic woes
The prolonged maritime deadlock and severe disruptions to global oil flows have triggered intense domestic political pushback inside the United States. Citing severe supply chain shocks, rising domestic fuel costs, and the failure of American military power to secure the Persian Gulf, a mounting number of US lawmakers have openly argued that Washington has lost the strategic conflict. Facing a stalled military campaign, congressional leaders are increasingly pressing the White House to recognize its strategic overreach and utilize the legislative resolutions as a necessary diplomatic off-ramp to end the war.