IRGC Warns Ships Crossing Restricted Hormuz Zone Will Face Sanctions

By Staff, Agencies

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has announced that any ship crossing a designated restricted zone in the Strait of Hormuz will face sanctions, while warning that any attack on Iranian targets would trigger a disproportionate response.

IRGC spokesman Brigadier General Hossein Mohabi said no maritime services would be provided to vessels entering the restricted area.

He said the zone begins approximately near Chabahar and extends into parts of the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.

“If the enemy attacks two targets in Iran, we will attack 20 targets of theirs,” Mohabi said, outlining what he described as Iran’s response to any further military escalation.

He also laid out conditions for de-escalation, saying the enemy must completely stop the war and its threats, while the "Israeli" army must withdraw from Lebanon.

He added that the blockade on Yemen must be lifted, Iran’s assets released, and interference in its missile and nuclear capabilities halted.

The warnings came after Iran’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned recent US attacks on Iranian commercial oil tankers in the Gulf and the Sea of Oman.

In a statement issued Wednesday, the ministry described the attacks, carried out Tuesday evening, as part of what it called Washington’s broader military aggression, naval blockade, and economic war against Iran.

“The US military attack on Iranian commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman ... constitutes a clear violation of the United Nations Charter and international law,” the ministry said.

Tehran warned that targeting Iranian commercial vessels represented a dangerous escalation and threatened regional and international peace and security.

It said Iran’s Armed Forces would respond decisively to any further military action against the country.

The latest warnings come amid escalating tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has moved to impose tighter restrictions on maritime traffic while the United States continues military operations against Iranian targets.