The comments suggest that Tehran is seeking stronger assurances before considering another diplomatic process with Washington, as fighting and economic pressure continue.
The US military has said more than 20 warships are supporting its blockade of Iranian ports. As of Sunday, the US had redirected 92 commercial vessels and disabled three as part of efforts to prevent Iran from exporting oil. US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Sunday that around 9 million barrels of oil a day were still passing through the strait, a figure he said could help ease pressure on global energy prices.
Iran is set to announce an “exclusion zone” around the Strait of Hormuz in the coming days and weeks, new Supreme National Security Council head Mohsen Rezaei said on Sunday. Rezaei said the proposed zone would begin at the line of the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, extend towards the Strait of Hormuz and continue into the Persian Gulf. “The new zone should be announced in the coming days and weeks and “will begin from the line of the US naval blockade, extend toward the Strait of Hormuz, and from this side continue into the Persian Gulf,” Rezaei said, “Any ship that enters this area with the intention of passing through the Strait of Hormuz and is identified will be placed on our sanctions list. “We had trusted our friends in Pakistan, Qatar or Oman, thinking that since they had stepped in as mediators, one of a mediator’s responsibilities is that if one side violates the agreement, they should stop them,” Rezaei said. Wright told CNN that, with oil also moving through regional pipelines, flows were “probably two-thirds or more of preconflict flows.”
The move aims at restricting vessels Tehran believes are attempting to transit the strategic waterway. Ships entering the area with the intention of passing through the strait and identified by Iran would be placed on its sanctions list. The Trump administration has increasingly pursued a two-pronged strategy, combining military action against Iranian attacks around the strait with pressure on foreign financial institutions accused of handling Iranian funds. “We are now pursuing diplomacy with guarantees.