The U.S. military dismissed an Iranian claim that Tehran struck an uncrewed American vessel in the Strait of Hormuz as a total lie. The dispute follows recent U.S. strikes on three Iranian oil tankers and escalating tensions over commercial shipping lanes in the critical Middle eastern waterway.
State-run media in Tehran reported that the U.S. vessel was trying to enter an area that Iran says is restricted in the Strait of Hormuz. Capt.
The claim came a day after the U.S. said it struck Iranian oil tankers in retaliation for Iran launching ballistic missiles at Navy warships. Attacks resumed last week after roughly a month of quiet. The war began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb. 28. But negotiations have collapsed after a ceasefire agreement was announced in June, and on-and-off fighting has persisted with both sides trying to inflict military and economic pain. Iran’s parliament speaker and chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, said the era of proportionate responses
is over and Iran’s retaliation will be faster, heavier and more painful.
Exclusion Zone Threats and Escalating Retaliation
The new head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said Tehran plans to announce an “exclusion zone” outside the Strait of Hormuz aimed at vessels it believes are attempting to transit the waterway. Mohsen Rezaei’s comments to Iran’s state broadcaster came with few details, a day after the U.S. struck three Iranian oil tankers in response to Tehran launching ballistic missiles at U.S. warships. Experts called the launches a dangerous escalation after Iran’s previous attacks at sea targeted commercial shipping.
The new zone should be announced in the coming days and weeks and will begin from the line of the U.S. naval blockade, extend toward the Strait of Hormuz, and from this side continue into the Persian Gulf,
Rezaei said. Meanwhile, the Trump administration appears to have adopted a dual-prong approach to the conflict, responding militarily to attacks on the strait while going after foreign financial institutions that handle Iran’s money. Tehran’s hard-line new senior leaders have signaled a willingness to dig in after weathering decades of sanctions, relying in part on a shadow fleet transporting its oil to buyers to help ease growing economic pressures.
Energy Flows and Blockade Pressures in the Persian Gulf
On Sunday, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said that on average, 9 million barrels of oil a day are getting through the strait, which should help to relieve pressure on energy prices. His estimate appeared to exceed average flows over the past 28 days through the strait, according to TankerTrackers.com and other sources. Wright told CNN that with oil also flowing through pipelines in the region, we’re probably two-thirds or more of pre-conflict flows.
Wright said he expected that other countries would eventually support the Navy’s efforts.
Diplomatic Collapse and Broader Regional Conflict
Meanwhile, Iran’s nuclear program, the issue that contributed to the outbreak of the war, was meant to be addressed in negotiations that fell apart soon after the U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding in mid-June. Diplomats say the U.S., Britain, France and Germany now seek to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council for failure to comply with its nuclear nonproliferation obligations. The broader conflict also encompasses Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon that killed seven people and leveled a vacant hospital, according to Lebanese authorities, near an area that has become a flash point in fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
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