The new head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council says the country 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 US struck three Iranian oil tankers in response to what it said was Iran launching ballistic missiles at US warships.

The new zone should be announced in the coming days and weeks and “will begin from the line of the US naval blockade, extend toward the Strait of Hormuz, and from this side continue into the Persian Gulf,” Rezaei said. “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.

” It is not clear where Iran defines the location of the weeks-long US blockade, which is aimed at Iranian ports and keeping Iran from shipping out its oil. The US military has said more than 20 warships are supporting the blockade, which as of Sunday had redirected 92 commercial ships and disabled three.

The US has been introducing new measures to increase the economic pain on Iran after negotiations collapsed and no end to the intermittent fighting appears in sight. Meanwhile, Iran continues to attack some ships trying to transit the strait, which has become an important source of leverage in the war that began February 28 with US and Israeli strikes.

Iran earlier on Sunday said it struck an unmanned US vessel trying to enter the Strait of Hormuz, a claim that the US military dismissed as a “total lie”. The strait is crucial to global oil and natural gas shipments and was seen as an international waterway before the war began.

On Sunday, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said that on average, nine 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”. But those flows depend on the presence of the US navy to help escort tankers and provide some protection against possible Iranian attack.

Wright said he expected that other countries would eventually support the US navy’s efforts. Meanwhile, Rezaei in his interview with state TV insisted that “every day we are selling one million, one and a half million (barrels), as if Iran’s oil production and trade are continuing as usual”.

Get the latest news from thewest.com.au in your inbox.

Samy Magdy, Associated Press Samy Magdy, Associated Press Julia Frankel, Associated Press Julia Frankel, Associated Press Leave your feedback CAIRO (AP) — The new head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council on Sunday 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. "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.

" READ MORE: U.S. strikes 3 Iranian oil tankers after saying warships were targeted with ballistic missiles It is not clear where Iran defines the location of the weekslong U.S. blockade, which is aimed at Iranian ports and keeping Tehran from shipping out its oil.

The U.S. military has said over 20 warships are supporting the blockade, which as of Sunday had redirected 92 commercial ships and disabled three. The U.S. has been introducing new measures to increase the economic pain on Iran after negotiations collapsed and no end to the intermittent fighting appears in sight.

Meanwhile, Iran continues to attack some ships trying to transit the strait, which has become an important source of leverage for Tehran in the war that began Feb. 28 with U.S. and Israeli strikes. Iran earlier Sunday said it struck an unmanned U.S.

vessel trying to enter the Strait of Hormuz, a claim that the U.S. military dismissed as a "total lie." The United States and Iran resumed attacks last week, following a month of relative calm, with the Strait of Hormuz and areas along Iran's southern coast again being targeted.

At least five people were killed earlier in the week during a U.S. bombardment that returned attention to the area where a school was hit in the war's opening strikes. 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.

WATCH: Trump calls Iran war 'small potatoes' and 'very intermittent' But Tehran's hard-line new senior leaders including Rezaei have signaled a willingness to dig in after weathering decades of sanctions. Iran has found ways over the years to circumvent sanctions, and now the U.

S. blockade of its ports, and get its oil to buyers to help ease growing economic pressures. On the matter of the collapsed negotiations with the U.S., Rezaei on Sunday expressed wariness not only of the U.S. but also of the mediators. The memorandum of understanding that the U.

S. and Iran signed in mid-June began to fall apart within days as each side accused the other of violations. "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." The Strait of Hormuz is crucial to global oil and natural gas shipments and was seen as an international waterway before the war began. 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 preconflict flows.

" But those flows depend on the presence of the U.S. Navy to help escort tankers and provide some protection against possible Iranian attack. Wright said he expected that other countries would eventually support the Navy's efforts. Meanwhile, Iran's Rezaei in his interview with state TV claimed that "every day we are selling one million, one and a half million (barrels), as if Iran's oil production and trade are continuing as usual.

" Magdy reported from Cairo and Frankel and Anna reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Konstantin Toropin in Washington and Josh Boak in Bridgewater, New Jersey, contributed to this report. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Support Provided By: Learn more Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else.

Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm.

Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana said Sunday he does not expect the ongoing conflict with Iran to be resolved before the November midterm elections, offering a wide ranging assessment of foreign policy, inflation and several closely watched Senate races during an appearance on a major Sunday political program.

Kennedy’s comments came just days after the U.S. military struck Iranian oil tankers in response to Iran launching missiles toward two Navy ships. Despite acknowledging the conflict remains unresolved, Kennedy argued that the broader region has become safer due to weakened adversaries, pointing to reduced threats from several groups and the removal of a longtime foreign leader from power.

He also defended the ongoing blockade affecting the Strait of Hormuz, describing it as an effective pressure tactic against Iran’s government even as it contributes to elevated fuel prices domestically. Inflation remains a top concern Turning to economic matters, Kennedy acknowledged that inflation continues to weigh heavily on American households, even as he characterized other aspects of the economy as relatively strong.

He cited several encouraging indicators, including 1. low unemployment 2. rising wages 3. a roughly 12 percent increase in average tax refunds 4. the creation of 136,000 jobs last month. Despite those figures, Kennedy said persistent inflation continues to erode confidence among voters and acknowledged that Senate Republicans missed an opportunity months ago to address the issue through a reconciliation bill.

He attributed the failure to a lack of support from party leadership and insufficient votes within his own conference, while maintaining there is still time before the election to take further action. Texas Senate race draws national attention Kennedy also addressed the competitive Senate race in Texas, where a Republican has not lost a Senate seat in 38 years.

With a recent infusion of campaign funding from a political action committee aligned with President Donald Trump, Kennedy expressed confidence that Republicans would ultimately hold the seat, though he cautioned that the race remains unusually close compared to historical trends in the state.

He connected voter frustration in that race and others to broader anxieties about the cost of living, ongoing tension surrounding the Iran conflict and growing public unease over the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure across the country.

Data centers face public pushback On the topic of data centers, Kennedy distanced himself from recent comments made by Trump suggesting that communities opposing new data center construction risked falling behind economically. Kennedy argued that the technology industry has done a poor job explaining the trade offs associated with artificial intelligence expansion, citing concerns among the public about job displacement, rising utility costs and heavy water usage tied to data center operations.

He suggested several changes could help ease public opposition, including transitioning toward closed loop water systems, requiring data centers to generate their own energy, improving the appearance of facility infrastructure and ending requests for state tax subsidies given the industry’s overall profitability.

Ukraine and Russia negotiations continue Kennedy also weighed in on ongoing diplomatic efforts involving Ukraine, following meetings between Russian President Vladimir Putin and senior Trump administration officials in Moscow. He expressed skepticism about Russia’s willingness to make concessions in any peace deal, while criticizing the House for failing to pass a sanctions bill targeting Russia.

Kennedy argued that continued economic pressure remains the most effective way to influence the Kremlin’s decision making moving forward. Defense secretary faces scrutiny Asked about renewed calls from a fellow Republican senator to replace Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Kennedy stopped short of fully endorsing recent leadership decisions but said he continues to support Hegseth absent clear evidence of wrongdoing.

Kennedy said his primary concerns center on increasing military resources, expanding drone based warfare capabilities in coordination with Ukraine and securing additional funding for the Defense Department. This article contains reporting originally published by NBC’s Meet the Press with Kristen Welker.

- Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that future attacks on Iran would receive a “faster, heavier, and more painful” response. - U.S. Central Command said American forces struck three Iranian crude carriers after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard launched missiles toward two U.

S. Navy warships. - Ghalibaf also acknowledged "fundamental challenges" such as inflation, unemployment and exchange-rate volatility as Iran faces sanctions and disruptions to its oil trade. Iran's "proportionate responses" to U.S. attacks are over, the country's parliament speaker and top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Sunday, while acknowledging the economic impact of the war.

"If they haven't understood by now, they should understand before it's too late that the rules of the game have changed and that from now on, any violation of Iran's interests and security will receive a 'faster, heavier, and more painful' response," Ghalibaf said in a post on Telegram.

But Ghalibaf added that alongside the military conflict, Iran faces severe economic pressures. "Severe fluctuations in the exchange rate, inflation, unemployment, and market management are fundamental challenges that have put serious pressure on people's livelihoods," Ghalibaf said.

He also stressed the need to rely more on domestic production and use technology to "devise short-term and permanent solutions." Ghalibaf's remarks come after U.S. forces struck three Iranian crude oil carriers. U.S. Central Command said it permanently disabled one crude oil carrier off the coast of Kharg Island and one near Jask.

Another oil tanker was attacked in the Gulf of Oman. CENTCOM said the attacks were in retaliation for ballistic missiles the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched toward two Navy warships in the region. According to CENTCOM, a U.S. aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer successfully evaded multiple attacks, and no American personnel were harmed.

"Let the message to the IRGC be clear: If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost —taking out three of yours," Admiral Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, said in a statement Saturday. "We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran's limited and exposed oil fleet.

" Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth later wrote in a post on X: "It's simple: if Iran shoots at U.S. ships, we will destroy (and sink) their oil tankers. All they have to do is not shoot at @USNavy." Iran is the third-largest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and exported 90% of its crude via Kharg Island before the war.

Flows have been disrupted by a U.S. blockade of Iranian oil exports, which began in mid-April. The conflict between Iran and the U.S. has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for the world's oil supply before the war began on Feb. 28 with American and Israeli airstrikes.

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened in June to seize Kharg Island as the U.S. continued military strikes against Iran. Most recently, on Aug. 31, he posted an artificial intelligence-generated video of Kharg Island being blown up. Tightening sanctions The strike on the oil tankers came a day after the Treasury Department announced sanctions against a small Turkish investment bank and two of its subsidiaries, which the U.

S. accuses of facilitating funds for an arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guard. The measures are part of sweeping sanctions the Trump administration launched in late August targeting Iran's access to digital assets, advanced technology procurement, gold reserves, commercial aviation and shipping.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said late last month that the country's trade has fallen sharply. Iran's gross domestic product is estimated to have contracted by 2.7% in the year ending March, according to the World Bank, citing economic disruption from last year's widespread protests and intensified hostilities in the region.

Inflation surged to 62.2% in February, with food price inflation reaching a historical high of 99%, according to the World Bank. An Iranian official estimated that the war has caused the loss of one million jobs, according to the New York Times.