Iran plans to declare an exclusion zone extending beyond the Strait of Hormuz into parts of the Persian Gulf, targeting commercial vessels that comply with the United States naval blockade. Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, warned regional nations that any ship entering the designated zone will face economic sanctions imposed by Tehran.
Rezaei rejected reports that American naval blockades have created domestic shortages of essential goods across Iran. "In the coming days we will declare a no-shipping zone outside the Strait of Hormuz that will include parts of the Gulf, starting at the line of the American naval blockade, every ship that enters it will be included in the sanctions list," Rezaei stated during public remarks.
The Iranian official also claimed that military forces recently carried out a direct strike against American naval assets operating in regional waters. "48 hours ago, for the first time, we carried out the first test of our cruise missile on the American aircraft carrier," Rezaei claimed according to Reuters reports.
Rezaei disputed American claims regarding commercial traffic volume passing through the vital transit passage. "The Strait of Hormuz is completely closed. Today, at most seven or eight ships pass through the strait per day, and five or six of them carry basic goods for us," Rezaei stated. "Sometimes the Americans pass five or six ships near the rocks attached to the coast of Oman, and usually these ships are attacked".
United States President Donald Trump posted several messages on Truth Social targeting Iran's political and economic stability. Trump shared graphic charts pointing to the collapse of the Iranian rial alongside severe inflation metrics, captioning one image of a military aircraft flying toward Kharg Island with "Bye Bye, Kharg" and asserting in another post that "Iran is a failed nation".
Military action in the region intensified as United States Central Command forces destroyed three Iranian crude oil tankers in response to ballistic missile strikes launched against American warships. CENTCOM confirmed that a US Navy aircraft carrier and a guided missile destroyer successfully evaded incoming Iranian missiles without sustaining casualties or damage.
In retaliatory strikes, American forces permanently disabled two IRGC oil tankers, identifying the vessels as the M/T Downy near Kharg Island and the M/T Stark 1 near Jask. CENTCOM officials categorized the initial Iranian strikes as unprovoked attempts to disrupt freedom of navigation across international shipping routes.
