Tehran also doubled the price of gasoline for its heaviest users, the 15% of consumers who buy the most, for the second time since December.
The zone. Iran's security council chief, Mohsen Rezaei, said Monday, Sept. 7, that Tehran will set up a restricted "exclusion zone" near the Strait of Hormuz in the coming days.
The doctrine. State media, showing off an upgraded Qassem Basir ballistic missile with a range of 1,200 kilometers (745 miles), said the weapon demonstrates a new doctrine: Iran "will take action against any threat, even before it is carried out."
The trigger. The announcements came two days after U.S. forces disabled three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday, Sept. 5, in retaliation for missiles fired at American warships.
Washington's answer. The White House said the waterway "is open and controlled by the U.S.," that the Navy has cleared the strait of mines, and that traffic to non-Iranian ports will keep rising. ([TS]Al Jazeera counted transits down 95% from normal as of Aug. 27.) The U.S. military has redirected 94 commercial vessels because of the conflict as of Monday, Sept. 7.
Pump prices. At home, Tehran doubled pump prices for its heaviest fuel buyers — the 15% who buy the most — to 100,000 rials a liter, about 7 cents, from 50,000 rials in December.
Still open. Rezaei gave no date, no coordinates and no stated penalty for entering the zone.
Catch up
- Aug. 10 — Tehran said it would keep Hormuz shut until the U.S. unfroze Iranian assets and lifted its naval blockade.
- Aug. 20 — With the 60-day truce expired, Trump declared an "economic D-Day" on Iran; only 10 to 12 ships a day were crossing the strait.
- Sept. 1 — U.S. bombs hit rocket sites near the strait and IRGC coastal air defenses; Iran fired eight missiles at bases in Jordan, all intercepted.
- Sept. 3 — U.S. hit about 100 targets; Iranian officials counted at least 18 dead, four at a wedding compound in Kuhestak.
- Sept. 5 — U.S. forces disabled three Iranian oil tankers after Iran fired ballistic missiles at a U.S. carrier and destroyer.
- Sept. 6 — Iran claimed it struck an unmanned U.S. vessel; Central Command called the claim "a total lie."
15 earlier issues
- Trump Threatens to Bomb Iranian Bridges and Power Plants for Every Ship Hit in Strait of Hormuz
- Iran fires multiple ballistic missiles at U.S. base in Jordan; all are intercepted
- Iran denies Trump’s claim that new U.S. talks would start Monday
- Cargo ship is struck in the Strait of Hormuz
- Vance says the Iran talks are moving, then calls the war only half over
- Iran won't reopen Hormuz until the US unfreezes its assets and lifts the blockade
- Trump threatens to bomb Oman, the U.S. ally brokering the deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz
- Trump declares an "economic D-Day" on Iran as Hormuz traffic runs 85% below normal
- UpdateU.S. goes nearly a month without large Iran strikes as Trump shifts back to sanctions; Hormuz remains closed
- U.S. destroys two Iranian rocket launchers loaded to mine the Strait of Hormuz; Iran fires eight missiles at bases in Jordan, all intercepted
- UpdateU.S. bombs two Iranian rocket sites near the Strait of Hormuz; Iran fires eight missiles at Jordan
- UpdateU.S. forces struck IRGC air-defense, radar, maritime and mine-laying sites on Iran's southern coast starting at noon on Sept. 1
- UpdateU.S. hits about 100 Iranian targets; Iran fires back at American bases in four countries, and a cruise missile kills 4 at a wedding
- Reuters weapons experts say a US munition made a direct hit on the Iranian wedding house that killed 5
- US destroys or disables 3 Iranian oil tankers after Iran fired ballistic missiles at a US carrier and destroyer
How each side has already choked the strait, and the price
- Iran's Revolutionary Guard first declared the strait closed to "unfriendly nations" on March 2, 2026
- The U.S. blockade of Iranian ports has run since April 13 and uses more than 20 warships
- Barclays now forecasts Brent at $100 a barrel for 2026, up from its earlier $85 call