Iran Declares Maritime Restricted Zone Outside Strait of Hormuz
Iran announced plans on Tuesday to enforce a new maritime restricted exclusion zone near and outside the Strait of Hormuz to regulate merchant shipping. Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, stated the zone will counter the US naval blockade. The IRGC simultaneously issued warnings that vessels operating on unauthorized maritime routes could face military targeting, heightening tensions across Gulf shipping corridors.