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Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei has rejected US President Donald Trump's claim that the Strait of Hormuz remains open amid the conflict in West Asia, calling it "a big lie", and said Tehran will soon announce a new "restricted area" extending beyond the strategic waterway.
Speaking during an interview with Iranian state media Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), Rezaei asserted that the Strait of Hormuz is "completely closed", while describing the movement of vessels through the area as sharply restricted. "The Strait of Hormuz is completely closed," Rezaei said. "Trump's claim that the Strait of Hormuz is open is a big lie," he added. Rezaei contrasted the current movement of ships through the waterway with traffic before its closure following the US-Israeli strike on Tehran, which killed Iran's former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, saying that more than 100 vessels carrying over 100 million tonnes of goods had previously passed through the Strait and claiming that the number has now fallen to a maximum of seven to eight vessels, which he said are carrying essential goods for Iran. "Before the Strait of Hormuz was closed, more than 100 ships transported more than 100 million tons of goods, but now a maximum of 7 to 8 ships carrying Iran's essential goods are transported," he said. The Iranian security chief also claimed that US-linked vessels attempting to move through the area covertly have been intercepted and attacked. "We both see and destroy American smuggling vessels," IRIB quoted him as saying. He said the United States attempts to move five to six ships through the area at considerable expense and claimed that such vessels are "usually hit". At the same time, Rezaei said Iran had refrained from sinking the vessels because of the environmental consequences of the oil they carry. "Of course, Iran has not decided to sink American smuggling vessels because they are carrying oil and are damaging the region's environment," he said. Rezaei further announced that Tehran intends to establish a new restricted zone outside the Strait of Hormuz in the coming days, potentially expanding the area subject to Iranian restrictions. "A restricted area outside the Strait of Hormuz will be announced in the coming days," he said. According to Rezaei, the proposed zone would begin from what he described as the US naval blockade line and extend into areas of the Persian Gulf. "This area starts from the US naval blockade line to include areas of the Persian Gulf," the Iranian security chief said. He warned that vessels entering the newly designated area would face sanctions from Iran. "Any ship entering this new area will be placed on the sanctions list," Rezaei said. The remarks signal a potential expansion of Tehran's restrictions beyond the Strait itself, with the proposed zone extending into parts of the Persian Gulf. Rezaei's remarks come amid heightened tensions involving Iran and the United States due to the West Asia conflict, with competing claims over the status of maritime traffic through the strategic waterway. (ANI)
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