Iran-US war latest: Tehran vows to extend ‘exclusion zone’ near Strait of Hormuz after US strikes on tankers

Read the original at The Independent ↗
Cite

Sharma, S., & Haygarth, D. (2026, September 7). Iran-US war latest: Tehran vows to extend ‘exclusion zone’ near Strait of Hormuz after US strikes on tankers. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iran-us-war-live-trump-hormuz-strikes-oil-tankers-b3045692.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

The Independent · collected 2026-09-07 · by Shweta Sharma, Dan Haygarth

Quick Summary

Iran's Supreme National Security Council head Mohsen Rezaei announced plans to establish an "exclusion zone" outside the Strait of Hormuz within the next few days. The zone will target vessels attempting to transit the waterway and will extend from the US naval blockade line, stretching into the Persian Gulf. This comes after a week of escalating tensions between Iran and the US, which have traded strikes on ships in the region. According to US Central Command, the US struck three Iranian oil tankers, while Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched ballistic missiles at two US Navy ships.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-07, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

The Trump administration announced an arrangement with Venezuela last week that would see the US gain control over 65 billion barrels worth of oil fields, representing about one-fifth of Venezuela’s total reserves. This deal includes a 35 percent stake for the Pentagon in North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP), a firm led by Venezuelan businessman Alejandro Betancourt, who was previously under U.S. money-laundering investigation. The State Department also gets preferential rights to buy 20% of NABEP’s oil at cost and first refusal for the remaining 80 percent.

Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodriguez claims this agreement will bring much-needed foreign investment to her country's struggling oil industry, but many in Venezuela view her as illegitimate after the U.S. military captured former President Nicolás Maduro earlier this year. Opposition leader María Corina Machado has criticized the deal, arguing that Venezuela’s natural resources belong to its people rather than "an illegitimate regime."

The arrangement raises concerns among Venezuelan opposition figures who fear it could bolster the authoritarian government's control and undermine democratic progress in the country.

Written for “US Venezuela Oil Deal” on 2026-10-22, grounded in this article and the 127 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 US Venezuela Oil Deal
Politics · 128 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 11% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
CBC News · 0.91 cosine similarity
⚖️ Leans right 🔴 6% hedged 2 of 31 📰 publisher trust 60
“Both articles report on Iran's announcement to establish an 'exclusion zone' outside the Strait of Hormuz, citing comments from Mohsen Rezaei and mentioning recent US strikes on Iranian tankers.”
The Independent · 0.91 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 5% hedged 2 of 44 📰 publisher trust 59
“Both articles report on the same series of events: the latest round of attacks between the US and Iran, specifically mentioning strikes on ships by both sides, and the establishment of an 'exclusion zone' by Iran.”
South China Morning Post · 0.91 cosine similarity
⚖️ Leans left 🔴 9% hedged 1 of 11 📰 publisher trust 64
“Both articles describe Iran's plan to establish an 'exclusion zone' outside the Strait of Hormuz, citing Mohsen Rezaei and similar details about the US naval blockade.”
Al Jazeera · 0.85 cosine similarity
⚖️ Leans left 🔴 13% hedged 7 of 55 📰 publisher trust 60
“Both articles describe a series of tit-for-tat attacks between the US and Iran, with a focus on tankers and naval blockades near the Strait of Hormuz, occurring in close proximity in time (over the course of one day)”
South China Morning Post · 0.85 cosine similarity
⚖️ Leans left 🔴 14% hedged 1 of 7 📰 publisher trust 64
“Both articles describe Iran's attack on a US naval drone near Hormuz as part of an ongoing conflict with the US, which is dated to have begun 'last week' in both articles, suggesting they are referring to the same specific incident.”
NBC News
⚖️ Leans right 🔴 12% hedged 2 of 17 📰 publisher trust 95
“Both articles report on the same military action by the U.S. against Iranian oil tankers, with Article A describing the strikes and Article B mentioning it as part of a larger conflict”
BBC News
⚖️ Leans right 🔴 11% hedged 4 of 35 📰 publisher trust 69
“Both articles report on the retaliatory strikes between the US and Iran on ships, with Article A describing the initial US attack and Article B mentioning the response from Iran”
South China Morning Post
⚖️ Leans strongly right 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 8 📰 publisher trust 64
“Both articles report on a retaliatory strike by the US against Iranian oil tankers, citing the same sequence of events and dates.”
Global News
⚖️ Leans strongly right 🔴 6% hedged 1 of 16 📰 publisher trust 63
“Both articles describe the US military striking Iranian oil tankers in response to Iran launching missiles at US Navy warships, occurring around the same time period.”
The Straits Times
⚖️ Leans strongly right 🔴 8% hedged 2 of 26 📰 publisher trust 68
“Both articles report on the same incident: US strikes on Iranian oil tankers, followed by Iran's announcement of an 'exclusion zone' in response.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
44
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
11%
5 of 44 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
59/100
The Independent's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
128
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-07 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Independent · 2835 article(s) · 6 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 6 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Shweta Sharma
21 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Seoul, though, would keep a Chargé d’affaires and essential personnel in Kyiv to maintain contact with Ukrainian authorities and assist South Korean citizens.
🔮 Emmanuel Macron said France feels “anger and shame” after a day of protests that descended into rioters setting fire to cars and building led to 2,000 arrests on Saturday In a national address on Sunday evening, Macron expressed support for French law enforcement, mayors, shop owners, and families following the “unprecedented violence” the day before.
🔮 Ms Lambie said she had received even more disturbing information suggesting that footage from the cameras may have already been uploaded online before the devices were discovered.
🔮 The ceasefire was announced after Trump struck a contentious deal that would allow Russia to supply more than 2.25 million barrels of diesel to American and global markets.
🔮 Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has accused the US of being unwilling to help Ukraine defend itself after a Russian bomb attack on two passenger buses killed at least 35 people.
🔮 Mr Jaishankar described the war as an “unfortunate conflict” and said India’s position “has been very clear, which is that we would like to see an end to this conflict”.
🔮 Meanwhile, Russia hit Kyiv’s North Bridge on Sunday, the capital’s mayor said.
🔮 Trump says executing death row inmates 'shouldn't be difficult' on Christa Pike case Donald Trump has responded to the botched execution of Christa Pike, calling it an “interesting situation”. Asked by reporters whether he would push for changes to capital punishment following the failed execution in Tennessee, the US president said the matter was for state authorities.
🔮 All we know about ‘hijacking’ attempt on flight to Israel as suspect arrested A pilot on an Israel-bound flight stabbed another pilot and may have deliberately tried to crash the plane before passengers wrestled back control and the aircraft landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
🔮 “Anywhere in the world, this choice of targets would be called by one word – terrorism.
Also by Shweta Sharma
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 21 articles by Shweta Sharma →
Dan Haygarth
8 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 He also repeated his frequent appeal for the world to reconsider the development of artificial intelligence, telling French leaders that AI could create a future where "a paradise of machines" takes control of the Earth.
🔮 They stated that Tehran would reopen the key waterway and resume talks on its nuclear programme but only if the US lifts its naval blockade, waives oil sanctions and observes a ceasefire that includes Lebanon.
🔮 Ukraine’s railway operator said the attack may have been aimed at the train carrying the former prime minister, among other dignitaries.
2026-09-14 · assertive framing · Member of UK armed forces dies in Ukraine, MoD says
🔮 This is the lowest number recorded since the newspaper began asking the question in May and a three-point decrease from the previous month.
2026-09-07 · assertive framing · Trump approval rating drops to record low in new poll
🔮 The new head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, said the zone would be declared in the coming days and would stretch for some distance on either side of the Strait "begin[ning] from the line of the US naval blockade".
🔮 If the full results, expected on Monday, show that the AfD has secured a majority, the party could form its first regional government in what would be a seismic moment in post-war German history.
🔮 Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, said: “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.”
🔮 This is the lowest number recorded since the newspaper began asking the question in May and a three-point decrease from the previous month.
2026-09-06 · assertive framing · Trump approval rating drops to record low in new poll
Also by Dan Haygarth
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 8 articles by Dan Haygarth →

Topics

Iran Iranian Lebanon Supreme National Security Council Tehran

Subjects

Iran GPE · 15× Tehran GPE · 7× Israeli NORP · 4× Lebanon GPE · 4× Hezbollah ORG · 3× Israel GPE · 3× Bart PERSON · 2× Iranian NORP · 2× Supreme National Security Council ORG · 2× Mohsen Rezaei PERSON · 1×

Narrative

John Healey issued the warning amid the leap in Government borrowing earlier this week, reflecting concerns among lenders about the inflationary impact of the US’s war with Iran. Mr Healey also told the Financial Times he would ensure the UK emerges from his first Budget on October 28 with a solid “buffer against uncertainty”.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-07
🔮 The new head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, said the zone would be declared in the coming days and would stretch for some distance on either side of the Strait "begin[ning] from the line of the US naval blockade".

Claims (44 extracted, 5 hedged)

Iran has said Tehran plans to establish an “exclusion zone” outside the Strait of Hormuz targeting vessels it believes are attempting to transit the strategic waterway. asserted
it → say → waterway
The new head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, said the zone would be declared in the coming days and would stretch for some distance on either side of the Strait "begin[ning] from the line of the US naval blockade". asserted
zone → say → blockade
It comes as the US and Iran have traded strikes on ships, the latest round of attacks since the conflict flared a week ago after a period of relative calm. asserted
conflict → come → calm
US Central Command said it struck three Iranian oil tankers, including one off the coast of Kharg Island, near the nation’s oil export hub, after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched ballistic missiles at two US Navy ships. asserted
Corps → say → ships
The IRGC responded by threatening intensified strikes against US military vessels in the region, and later said it targeted three tankers that Tehran claimed were on unauthorised routes in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as three US-linked vessels in other areas. asserted
Tehran → respond → areas
Iran's claims to have successfully struck an uncrewed US military vessel were a "total lie", however, according to a Centcom spokesperson. uncertain
claims → strike → spokesperson
Iran official says Tehran to set up 'exclusion zone' outside strait asserted
Tehran → say → strait
The new head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council said Tehran plans to announce an "exclusion zone" outside the Strait of Hormuz aimed at vessels it believes are attempting to transit the waterway. asserted
it → say → 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 Tehran launching ballistic missiles at US warships. Experts called the launches a dangerous escalation after Iran's previous attacks at sea targeted commercial shipping. asserted
attacks → come → shipping
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. asserted
Rezaei → announce → Gulf
Iran mocks US over Strait of Hormuz disruption with Simpsons meme asserted
Iran → mock → Simpsons
Iran has accused the US of causing disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and then attempting to blame Tehran for the fallout. asserted
Iran → accuse → fallout
Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Washington was trying to “put Iran’s name” on the consequences of a crisis it had created. asserted
it → say → crisis
Baghaei also shared a Simpsons meme depicting Homer and Bart standing beside a spreading fire, with Bart saying: “Relax. asserted
Bart → share → fire
It’s a controlled burn. asserted
It → ’ → ?
“America started the war but expects the whole world to pay the bill, while portraying Iran as the one that caused this chaos”, he wrote on X. Israeli strikes kill 7 in Lebanon Israeli strikes killed at least seven people in southern Lebanon and leveled an empty hospital, Lebanon's health ministry said. asserted
ministry → start → hospital
Strikes on the village of Arabsalim killed two, the ministry said. asserted
ministry → kill → two
Two others were killed in Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa, near a strategic hill that Israel said its forces gained control over on Thursday. asserted
forces → kill → Thursday
And three people were killed in the village of Nabatiyeh al-Tahta after an Israeli drone struck a parking lot. asserted
drone → kill → lot
At least 20 others were wounded in strikes, the ministry said, among them three children and five women. asserted
ministry → wound → them
Israel's military said its latest strikes came in response to a drone attack launched earlier on Sunday by Hezbollah on troops in southern Lebanon. asserted
strikes → say → Lebanon
It said Hezbollah had used the empty hospital as a command centre. asserted
Hezbollah → say → centre
Since a ceasefire went into effect between Israel and Hezbollah more than two months ago, low-level skirmishes and Israeli strikes continue in the south. asserted
skirmishes → go → south
US denies that Iran struck an uncrewed US military ship in the Strait of Hormuz The US military denied that Iran struck an uncrewed American military vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, calling the claim a "total lie." uncertain
Iran → deny → claim
State-run media in Tehran said the US vessel was trying to enter an area that Iran says is restricted in the Strait of Hormuz, but Captain Tim Hawkins, spokesperson for the US Central Command, called it "a total lie." asserted
Hawkins → say → it
The claim came a day after the US said it struck Iranian oil tankers in retaliation for Iran launching ballistic missiles at Navy warships. uncertain
Iran → come → warships
Attacks resumed last week after roughly a month of quiet. asserted
Attacks → resume → quiet
Iran says it hit a US ship in a week of renewed hostilities Iran said Sunday that it struck an unmanned US military boat in the Strait of Hormuz, marking the latest exchange of fire between the countries after a month of relative calm. asserted
it → say → calm
State-run media in Tehran said the US vessel was trying to enter an area that Iran says is restricted in the Strait of Hormuz. asserted
Iran → say → Hormuz
It came a day after the US said it struck Iranian oil tankers in retaliation for Iran launching ballistic missiles at Navy warships. asserted
Iran → come → warships
Attacks resumed last week after roughly a month of quiet. asserted
Attacks → resume → quiet
Israeli government warns holiday travellers Israel issued a warning ahead of the Jewish High Holiday season, a busy travel time that begins this Friday. asserted
that → warn → season
It cautioned citizens not to travel to Muslim nations, including Jordan and Egypt, and to take precautions when overseas, including avoiding displaying Jewish symbols like skullcaps or speaking Hebrew in public spaces. asserted
It → caution → spaces
Israel frequently issues such warnings ahead of holidays or during wartime. asserted
Israel → issue → wartime
Watch - 'Small potatoes': Trump says Iran conflict isn't a 'big thing' for US Recap: UK chancellor warns of tough Budget because of economic impact of Iran war asserted
chancellor → watch → war
The chancellor has warned that the Budget in the autumn could be tough, as Donald Trump’s war in the Middle East affects the British economy. uncertain
war → warn → economy
John Healey issued the warning amid the leap in Government borrowing earlier this week, reflecting concerns among lenders about the inflationary impact of the US’s war with Iran. Mr Healey also told the Financial Times he would ensure the UK emerges from his first Budget on October 28 with a solid “buffer against uncertainty”. asserted
UK → issue → uncertainty
Economists have predicted that the fiscal buffer Rachel Reeves built up in her last budget, through a combination of tax rises and departmental spending cuts, will be squeezed by the inflationary pressures of ongoing global turmoil. asserted
Reeves → predict → turmoil
This could limit prime minister Andy Burnham’s ambitions to tackle the cost-of-living crisis, and spending plans across his wider agenda for Government. uncertain
This → limit → Government
The Chancellor told the FT: “What’s happening in the Middle East is hitting inflation, it’s hitting growth, it’s hitting borrowing costs.” asserted
it → tell → costs
…and 4 more, not listed.
💬Give feedback
🕘History 🎫Support