Iran Declares New ‘Prohibited Zone’ Around Strait of Hormuz as America Casts Doubt on Nuclear Deal

After U.S. Central Command hit three Iranian oil tankers over the weekend, Iran is declaring that a “prohibited zone” will be established soon outside the Strait of Hormuz to prevent any ship transit without coordination with the Iranian regime. The announcement comes as Washington suggests the prospect of a nuclear deal with Tehran will likely have to be made with the next Iranian government. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary, Mohsen Rezaei, was quoted by Iranian state TV as saying: “In the coming days, a prohibited zone will be announced outside the Strait of Hormuz. This zone will start from the U.S. Navy’s blockade line and include areas of the Persian Gulf. Any ship entering this new zone will be placed on the sanctions list.”Mr. Rezaei added that Iran is entrusting its “friends,” Pakistan, Qatar, and Oman, with enforcement, saying the council’s thinking is that “since they had stepped in as mediators, one of a mediator’s responsibilities is that if one side violates the agreement, they should stop them. We are now pursuing diplomacy with guarantees.”U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright meanwhile told ABC News in an interview on Sunday that “there may not be a nuclear agreement” with Iran, whose leadership is unstable. “It may be simply destroying their capabilities to do it. An agreement may await (the) next administration in Iran. We simply don’t know that.”Mr. Wright also said the United States is “degrading” Iran’s capacity to develop nuclear weapons and “ultimately to deliver them if they develop them. It is (a) 47-year-long effort. This is not trivial, but the United States will get the job done, and we will work in cooperation with our allies in the region.”“Iran is doing everything they can to cling on to something. They know their nuclear program is coming to an end, their navy’s come to an end, their air force has come to an end. They’re clinging on to power as the United States continues to escalate the volume of oil that transits through the Strait of Hormuz,” he added. The Iranians have not said where the U.S. Navy’s blockade begins but Central Command is holding 20 warships in the strait to prevent Iranian or its partners from shipping oil out of the country. Iran stated it hit two unmanned U.S. vessels in the Gulf of Oman over the weekend, which Centcom’s spokesman, Captain Tim Hawkins, called “a total lie.” Nonetheless on Saturday, Centcom announced that an aircraft carrier and guided missile destroyer evaded attacks, leading to the sinking of one Iranian oil tanker and disabling of two others. Centcom’s Commander, Admiral Bradley Cooper, said the U.S. Navy will extract an “even higher economic cost” from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps if it attempts to shoot at U.S. ships. “We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet,” he said.In the meantime, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a stark warning to Iran ahead of the Jewish New Year that begins Friday evening, insisting the regime’s days are numbered. “The achievements (of the wars since October 7) are immense, but there is still more to complete. I mean, first and foremost, the toppling of the regime. This regime in Iran — its end is near. It is weak, it is fighting for its life, it is faltering,” the Israeli leader said at his weekly meeting with the cabinet on Sunday. “And there is another mission to complete, which we are determined to bring about. This will permanently change the face of the Middle East and the history of our people. We know that we are determined to do this, and we are determined and know that we are capable of doing this,” Mr. Netanyahu added. Mr. Netanyahu also clarified that Iran has refrained from attacking Israel in the past couple of months but that it could still “err and make the mistake of attacking us anyway. It will suffer a blow it cannot even imagine.”“I say to our enemies: Do not try us. This people (Israel) know how to unite in moments of testing, and right now it is the strongest superpower in the Middle East, and some say even beyond,” the prime minister said.

Iran Declares New ‘Prohibited Zone’ Around Strait of Hormuz as America Casts Doubt on Nuclear Deal

Iran Declares New ‘Prohibited Zone’ Around Strait of Hormuz as America Casts Doubt on Nuclear Deal

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