Iran plans restricted zone as Hormuz traffic drops to just 7 ships daily

Iran says it will soon establish an exclusion zone extending from the alleged U.S. naval blockade toward the Strait of Hormuz and into the Persian Gulf, warning that vessels attempting to transit the waterway could be sanctioned or turned back. Iranian officials say Tehran is negotiating with Oman on a controlled shipping corridor but will not guarantee broader reopening unless the United States ends attacks it considers hostile; they also claim traffic has fallen to roughly seven or eight ships a day. The announcements followed U.S. strikes on three Iranian oil tankers after Iran launched ballistic missiles at U.S. warships, with both sides trading conflicting claims about damage and attacks at sea. Iran’s parliament speaker warned that future retaliation would be faster and more severe, while the U.S. military rejected Tehran’s claim that it struck an unmanned American vessel in the strait as false. The escalating confrontation has increased pressure on a vital global shipping route and threatens further disruption to commercial maritime traffic.