Iran plans new Gulf exclusion zone, threatens US with missiles

Iran just drew a line in the water. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, announced on state television that Tehran will declare a new “exclusion zone” in the Persian Gulf, starting at the perimeter of the existing US naval blockade around Iranian ports and extending into one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes. The message was blunt: any vessel entering the zone with the intent to transit the Strait of Hormuz will be added to Iran’s sanctions list, potentially stripping those ships of insurance coverage and passage rights. Brent crude responded almost immediately, climbing to roughly $98 per barrel. What the exclusion zone actually means About 20% of the world’s oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz on any given day. The zone is designed to begin precisely where the US blockade perimeter ends. Ships that comply with the American blockade could find themselves in violation of Iranian rules, and vice versa. Rezaei framed the move as part of a broader “economic warfare” strategy against what he described as American threats to Iranian sovereignty. The announcement came on September 6, 2026, amid a stretch of escalating military exchanges betw...