Iran plans new 'exclusion zone' near Strait of Hormuz 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".

Iran says it struck US drone vessel in Strait of Hormuz, US denies claim Iran said it struck an unmanned US vessel entering the Strait of Hormuz, a claim Washington flatly rejected. The exchange deepens fears over oil shipping, stalled nuclear diplomacy and a ceasefire that is steadily unravelling.

Iran said on Sunday that it had struck an unmanned US vessel trying to enter the Strait of Hormuz, a claim the US military rejected as a "total lie". The exchange came a day after the US military said its forces struck three Iranian oil tankers in response to Navy warships being targeted with ballistic missiles.

The latest claims mark another escalation in the conflict, which began with US and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28. Although a fragile ceasefire was announced in June, intermittent fighting has continued as negotiations collapsed and both sides kept trying to impose military and economic costs on each other.

Experts described the reported attack as dangerous, particularly because Iran's earlier attacks at sea had targeted commercial shipping. The US and Iran resumed attacks last week after about a month of relative calm, with the Strait of Hormuz and areas along Iran's southern coast again coming under attack.

Earlier in the week, at least five people were killed during a US bombardment that brought renewed focus to an area where a school was hit in the war's opening strikes. The Trump administration appears to have adopted a two-pronged approach to the conflict, responding militarily to attacks on the strait while also targeting foreign financial institutions that handle Iran's money.

At the same time, Tehran's new hard-line senior leaders have signalled that they are prepared to hold their ground after decades of sanctions. Iran has for years found ways to bypass sanctions, and now a US blockade of its ports, and continue selling oil to buyers to ease growing economic pressure.

That effort depends in part on a shadow fleet used to transport its oil. Iran's leverage is centred on the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil and natural gas shipments that had been regarded as an international waterway before the war. On Sunday, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said that an average of 9 million barrels of oil a day are passing through the strait, which he said should help ease pressure on energy prices.

His estimate appeared to be higher than the average flows over the past 28 days through the strait, according to TankerTrackers.com and other sources. Wright told CNN that with oil also moving through pipelines in the region, "we're probably two-thirds or more of pre-conflict flows.

" But those flows depend on the US Navy's presence to escort tankers and offer some protection against possible Iranian attacks. Wright said he expected other countries would eventually support the Navy's efforts. Meanwhile, Iran's nuclear programme, which was at the centre of the tensions that helped trigger the war, was supposed to be addressed in negotiations that fell apart soon after the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding in mid-June.

Diplomats say the US, Britain, France and Germany now want to refer Iran to the UN Security Council for failing to meet its nuclear non-proliferation obligations. Taken together, the fresh military claims, pressure on oil flows and stalled diplomacy underline how the conflict has continued despite the June ceasefire.

Iran War Day 191: Iran Threatens ‘More Intense and More Painful’ Retaliation After U.S. Strikes Mohammad Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s parliament, issued new threats to the United States on Sunday. Following the apparent crippling of three Iranian oil tankers in U.

S. strikes on Saturday, Ghalibaf said his country would escalate its responses. “The era of proportionate responses has come to an end,” Ghalibaf asserted in a speech broadcast in Iran, adding that “any aggression against Iran's interests and security will receive a faster, more intense and more painful response.

” Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also said it launched retaliatory attacks on several U.S.-affiliated ships Saturday, including what it claimed was a successful strike on a U.S. Navy drone (a Pentagon spokesman denied this). Subscribe Today Get daily emails in your inbox Elsewhere in the Middle East, Israel conducted strikes in southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.

Press reports indicate the strikes in Lebanon—which the IDF said followed an attempted Hezbollah attack on its troops—killed at least 7 and left 20 more injured. The strike in Gaza reportedly left two people dead, including a six-year-old girl. In the United States, Energy Secretary Chris Wright suggested the White House may never reach a deal to eliminate Iran’s nuclear program.

“There may not be a nuclear agreement,” Wright told ABC News on Sunday, “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.” AAA reported that the average price of gasoline in the United States was $4.

15 per gallon.

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.