Iran threatens maritime exclusion zone after reported missile launch at U.S. warships
Iran warned of economic warfare and a Gulf maritime exclusion zone as tensions with the United States continued to escalate.
Tehran, Iran. Iran threatened the United States with “economic warfare” and said it had fired an advanced missile at U.S. warships, amid renewed escalation in the six-month-old conflict.
The United States said its warships evaded missile attacks, while Iran-backed Houthi forces struck cities in Saudi Arabia, according to the Saudi-led coalition.
Missile and economic threats
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council secretary Mohsen Rezaei said Tehran would announce a new restricted zone in the Gulf and maps of a shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz in the coming days.
The restricted zone would begin at the point where the U.S. blockade of Iran starts and extend into areas of the Gulf, Rezaei told state television on Sunday. He said vessels entering the area would be placed on an Iranian sanctions list.
On Tuesday, Rezaei repeated economic and military threats in a post on X.
“In recent days, Washington has received a clear warning from Iran’s new missiles. Economic warfare will be met by a maritime exclusion zone across the Persian Gulf to the blockade perimeter. The operational posture toward U.S. warships and bases has been fundamentally recalibrated,” he said.
Iranian state media reported on Sunday that Iran fired the Qassem Basir missile during attacks on several U.S. vessels. The U.S. military said its warships evaded any missile attacks.
Regional tensions and shipping disruption
The conflict has been marked by pauses followed by periodic flare-ups. The United States last reported attacks on Iranian targets on Saturday, when U.S. forces struck three Iranian oil tankers.
Iran-backed Houthi militia forces attacked several cities in Saudi Arabia, wounding 73 people, a spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said on Tuesday.
Iran has also continued to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz despite U.S. efforts to open the waterway, with commodity vessel traffic slowing again this week.
Despite U.S. attacks that have degraded Iran’s conventional forces and affected its economy, Iran has retained missile and drone capabilities that can threaten oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz and target Gulf states hosting U.S. military bases.
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