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Iran plans to establish an “exclusion zone” around the Strait of Hormuz for vessels it believes are attempting to pass through the key waterway, the new head of the Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, said Sunday, as tensions with the United States escalate following fresh attacks at sea.

Rezaei told Iranian state television that the zone would be announced in the coming days and weeks. He said it would begin from the line of the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, extend towards the Strait of Hormuz and continue into the Persian Gulf, Associated Press reported.

“Any ship that enters this area with the intention of passing through the Strait of Hormuz and is identified will be placed on our sanctions list,” Rezaei said.

The announcement came a day after the US struck three Iranian oil tankers in response to Iran launching ballistic missiles at US warships. The attacks marked a further escalation in the conflict, with experts describing Iran’s latest launches as particularly dangerous after previous Iranian attacks at sea targeted commercial shipping.

US Blockade Redirects Commercial Ships

According to the AP report, the exact location of the US blockade referred to by Rezaei was not immediately clear. The blockade is aimed at Iranian ports and preventing Tehran from exporting its oil.

The US military has said more than 20 warships are supporting the operation. As of Sunday, the blockade had redirected 92 commercial ships and disabled three, according to the US military.

Washington has continued introducing measures aimed at increasing economic pressure on Iran after negotiations between the two countries collapsed, while intermittent fighting continues.

Iran, meanwhile, has continued attacking some vessels attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz, using the strategically important waterway as leverage in the conflict that began Feb. 28 with US and Israeli strikes.

Iran also said Sunday that it had struck an unmanned US vessel attempting to enter the strait. The US military rejected the claim as a “total lie”.

Fighting Resumes After Month-Long Lull

The US and Iran resumed attacks last week following about a month of relative calm, with the Strait of Hormuz and areas along Iran’s southern coast again coming under attack.

At least five people were killed earlier in the week during a US bombardment, which again drew attention to the area where a school was struck in the opening phase of the war.

The Trump administration has appeared to pursue a two-pronged strategy, responding militarily to attacks around the strait while also targeting foreign financial institutions that handle Iranian funds.

Iran's new hard-line senior leadership, including Rezaei, has signalled that Tehran intends to withstand the renewed pressure. Iran has spent decades finding ways around sanctions and is now attempting to circumvent the US blockade of its ports to continue selling oil and ease economic pressures.

Iran Seeks Guarantees In Diplomacy

Rezaei also expressed scepticism about the mediators involved in the collapsed US-Iran negotiations, including Pakistan, Qatar and Oman.

A memorandum of understanding signed by Washington and Tehran in mid-June began to unravel within days, with both sides accusing each other of violating the agreement.

“We had trusted our friends in Pakistan, Qatar or Oman, thinking 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,” Rezaei said.

“We are now pursuing diplomacy with guarantees,” he added.

US Says 9 Million Barrels Of Oil Transit Hormuz Daily

The Strait of Hormuz remains a critical route for global oil and natural gas shipments and was regarded as an international waterway before the war began.

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Sunday that an average of 9 million barrels of oil a day were moving through the strait, a level he said should help ease pressure on energy prices.

Wright's estimate appeared to exceed average flows recorded over the previous 28 days by TankerTrackers.com and other sources.

Speaking to CNN, Wright said oil was also moving through regional pipelines and that flows were “probably two-thirds or more of preconflict flows”.

However, the continued movement of tankers depends on the presence of the US Navy to escort vessels and provide protection against potential Iranian attacks. Wright said he expected other countries to eventually support the US Navy's efforts.

Rezaei, meanwhile, claimed Iran was continuing to sell between one million and 1.5 million barrels of oil a day, saying the country's oil production and trade were continuing despite the conflict and blockade.