Iran announces a restricted zone in the Gulf and a military escalation in the Strait of Hormuz

Iran said that it will announce a new restricted zone in the Gulf in the coming days, and maps for a new shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz.

According to the Secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, the maps for ship transit routes in the Strait of Hormuz, which were agreed upon with the Sultanate of Oman, will be signed in the coming days, according to Iranian state television.

According to Rezaei, what Iran described as the prohibited zone “will start from the American naval blockade line along its extension towards the Strait of Hormuz, all the way to the Persian Gulf,” as he put it.

He added: "Any ship that enters this region with the intention of crossing through the Strait of Hormuz and is identified will be placed on our sanctions list."

This announcement comes after a new escalation in mutual attacks between the United States and Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, where the United States announced that it targeted three oil tankers - which it said belonged to ships of the "Iranian shadow network" - destroying one and disabling two.

On the other hand, Iran announced the targeting of six ships related to the United States in the region, after it had previously fired missiles at two American ships.

Iran warned of a "painful response" if the United States attacks again.

Iran has shown that it is still capable of targeting American interests in neighboring countries and disrupting oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world's oil supplies passed before the outbreak of the conflict.

Rezaei also said that the Strait of Hormuz is “completely closed and under the control of the Iranian armed forces,” a characterization that contradicts the American position that says the movement of oil tankers continues through the strategic waterway.

The Iranian announcement comes at a time when the country is suffering under increasing economic pressure.

Iranian government spokeswoman, Fatima Mohajerani, said in statements reported by official media that the government discussed increasing gasoline prices, which are among the lowest in the world, but postponed the step amid fears of the outbreak of new protests.

Iran witnessed widespread protests in 2019 against the backdrop of raising fuel prices.

Mohajerani said that the increase in gasoline prices will only affect consumers whose consumption exceeds 110 liters per month, adding that the decision comes due to “current circumstances.”

On the other hand, the average price of regular automobile fuel in the United States was $4.14 per gallon, an increase of about one dollar compared to last year, coinciding with the Labor Day holiday in the country.

According to the Automobile Club of America, this increase exceeds the record price of regular motor fuel set on Labor Day weekend in 2012 at $3.82 per gallon.

The price of diesel fuel in the United States also set a new record on Friday at $5.85 per gallon.

Experts attribute this rise in the price of fuel to the Iran war and its impact on navigation in the vital Strait of Hormuz.

In a related context, US President Donald Trump described Iran as a “country in the process of collapse,” in a photo he posted on his Truth Social platform, in which a map of the country appeared with the same phrase above it.

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Sunday that more than nine million barrels of oil cross the Strait daily, adding that alternative supply methods raise the volume of flows to the equivalent of about two-thirds of the levels that were recorded before the outbreak of the current confrontation.

Under normal circumstances, about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas supplies pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which makes any disruption to navigation through it have an impact on global energy markets.

The movement of commercial ships transporting goods through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen to its lowest levels since May, with the average number of ships crossing the Strait reaching 10 ships per day during the past ten days, according to data from Kpler, a shipping data analysis company.

The data, released Monday, showed that the 10-day moving average reached 10 ships per day on Sunday, compared to more than 15 ships on Friday and about 13 ships on Saturday.

This decline in shipping traffic comes in the wake of American and Iranian strikes that targeted oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz region, which led to an escalation of the risks facing commercial ships during transit.

Oil prices continued their gains on Monday, in light of mounting fears of continued disruption of oil supplies from the Middle East, after the United States and Iran exchanged strikes targeting ships sailing in the Strait of Hormuz and other areas.

By 23:54 GMT, Brent crude futures rose 52 cents, or 0.54 percent, to $96.80 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude rose 66 cents, or 0.72 percent, to $92.14 per barrel.