Iran announces an attack on 20 ships near Hormuz and expands its “restricted zone,” and Trump expects the war to end soon.

Iran said it attacked twenty ships that attempted to cross Hormuz on Wednesday, announcing that the new “restricted zone” outside the strait would include parts of the Gulf of Oman and areas outside it, while US President Donald Trump expected the war to end after the midterm elections scheduled for November.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced on Wednesday that it had attacked two American ships, eight oil tankers, and ten “violating ships” that were trying to cross the Strait of Hormuz, according to the official news agency “IRNA,” while the American command denied this, and said that the Revolutionary Guard’s claim of attacking them was “completely false.”

The British Maritime Trade Operations Authority (UKMTO) said that “several commercial ships in the northern Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman” caught fire “as part of ongoing military activity in the region.”

In a measure that may impose additional complications on maritime traffic, the Revolutionary Guard announced the expansion of the “restricted zone” that ships are prohibited from entering without coordination with Tehran.

Guard spokesman Hussein Mohebi said, “It starts approximately from the Chabahar side (in southern Iran), and includes part of the Sea of ​​Oman and another part of the Arabian Sea along the path that leads to the Strait of Hormuz.”

He explained: "If a ship enters that area without coordination, punitive measures will be imposed on it. This means, for example, that if it later wants to use the Strait of Hormuz or if it wants to receive services in a certain location, such as insurance or other related services, we will refrain from providing these services."

The Revolutionary Guard announced earlier Wednesday that it had targeted an American military base in Jordan with the aim of “punishing the aggressor,” in response to the strikes carried out by Washington against Iranian oil tankers.

The Jordanian army reported that its defenses dealt with twenty ballistic missiles launched by Iran and intercepted 18 of them, while two missiles landed in two open areas, stressing that there were no "losses of life."

CBS, the BBC's American partner, quoted sources as saying that "minor" damage was caused to eight F-15 aircraft at the Muwafaq Salti air base in Jordan, and all of them were returned to service, while an A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft was damaged and lost one of its wings.

The escalation between the United States and Iran, in addition to the attacks by the Houthis in Yemen on Saudi Arabia, pushed crude prices to exceed the threshold of $100 per barrel for the first time since July, as the Islamic Republic continues to restrict movement across the strait while the American blockade of its ports continues.

The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that targeting American military installations comes within the framework of “self-defense,” considering that “the aggressive actions carried out by the United States against Iranian commercial ships not only increase the risks of tension in the region, but also constitute a clear threat to regional and international peace and security.”

The US Army announced on Tuesday night that it responded to an Iranian attack targeting an American warship, the second of its kind in less than a week.

The United Nations stressed that freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz must be “fully restored,” calling for restraint.

In an effort to increase pressure on Tehran in conjunction with the tightening of economic sanctions, the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency voted to refer Tehran to the UN Security Council on the grounds of its “non-compliance” with its nuclear obligations.

However, the resolution is likely to remain symbolic, as any action against the Islamic Republic in the Security Council will likely face opposition from Russia and China, and subsequently fall under the veto. Iran condemned the decision.

Qatar and Saudi Arabia are discussing efforts to reduce escalation and enhance security and stability in the region