Iran (IMNA) - Speaking in a televised interview on Sunday night, Rezaei said the new restricted zone would begin at the US Navy’s blockade line and extend into parts of the Persian Gulf toward the region’s loading ports.
He warned that vessels approaching the Strait of Hormuz from either side and entering the designated zone would be placed on an Iranian sanctions list, with the measures potentially affecting their insurance coverage and future passage through the waterway.
Rezaei also said the Strait of Hormuz is “completely closed and under the control of the armed forces,” rejecting US President Donald Trump’s claim that the strategic waterway remains open as a “big lie.”
According to the SNSC secretary, more than 100 vessels carrying over 100 million tons of cargo previously passed through the strait every day. He said that following Iran’s restrictions on the waterway, only seven to eight vessels carrying essential goods for Iran are currently transiting the strait.
Rezaei claimed that the United States has been attempting to send five to six vessels through the waterway at considerable cost, adding that such vessels are “usually struck.” He said Iran has not decided to sink the vessels because they are carrying oil and their destruction could cause environmental damage to the region.
He further announced that a memorandum on establishing a new corridor through the Strait of Hormuz would be signed in the coming days. Under the proposed arrangement, the entry and exit of vessels would be fully managed by Iran.
Rezaei stressed that Tehran would make no commitment to reopen the waterway unless Washington ends its threats and acts of aggression and restores Iran’s trust.
Iran tests new anti-ship missile
The SNSC secretary also announced that Iran had successfully tested a new anti-ship missile, saying the test was conducted over a US Navy vessel 48 hours earlier.
“For the first time, we tested our anti-ship missile above an American warship,” Rezaei said, describing the missile as a weapon that “created hell for the Americans” and forced them to flee.
He said even US Central Command could not conceal the incident, describing the test as a warning that the American naval blockade is vulnerable.
Rezaei further claimed that US President Donald Trump had initially planned a 10-day war against Iran but abandoned the plan on its first day after Iranian attacks targeted US support bases and troop positions, including the Titan base in Jordan and sites in Erbil.
He also said Iran reserves the right to respond to a US attack on a wedding ceremony in Sirik.
Regarding developments on the resistance front, Rezaei said that despite temporary Israeli advances in parts of Lebanon, Hezbollah continues to hold the upper hand. He added that growing public anger would prevent any lasting Israeli presence in the country.
The SNSC secretary also rejected reports of shortages inside Iran, saying oil exports were continuing, revenues were returning to the country, and strategic reserves of basic goods remained stable.
Rezaei said the United States has pursued a long-standing policy aimed at turning Iran into a dependent country deprived of its capabilities, arguing that the Iranian nation had prevented the realization of that policy through unity around the leadership.
The remarks came after an Iranian parliamentary commission approved a plan to ban countries and entities imposing sanctions on Tehran from transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
In July, Iran’s Parliament formally introduced the “Strategic Action Plan for Ensuring Security and Sustainable Development of the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf,” aimed at asserting Iran’s control over the strategic waterway.
Iran has restricted transit through the Strait of Hormuz since the early days of the US-Israeli war of aggression that began on February 28 and ended under a ceasefire in early April following what Tehran described as successful Iranian retaliatory operations.
On June 17, Tehran and Washington signed a Pakistan-brokered memorandum of understanding. Article 5 of the agreement places responsibility for reopening and managing the Strait of Hormuz with Iran.
However, according to Tehran, the United States subsequently sought to undermine Iran’s sovereignty over the strategic energy chokepoint by establishing an unsafe corridor near the Omani coast. Washington also resumed aerial attacks against Iran and imposed a naval blockade, which Iran says violated the agreement that brought the war to an end.
In response, Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed to all traffic.
The Islamic Republic has repeatedly stressed that reopening the critical waterway depends on Washington fulfilling its obligations under the memorandum of understanding.
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