Iran says plans to announce new ‘exclusion zone’ near Strait of Hormuz
The head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council announced plans to declare a new "exclusion zone" outside the Strait of Hormuz targeting vessels believed to be heading toward the strait
Vessels entering the proposed zone with intent to transit the Strait of Hormuz would reportedly be identified and placed on a sanctions list
The announcement follows a US strike on three Iranian oil tankers and reports of Iran launching ballistic missiles at US Navy warships, marking a fresh escalation in the ongoing regional conflict
The proposed zone is described as extending from the line of an existing US naval presence toward the Strait of Hormuz and into the Persian Gulf, though full details have not yet been formalised
"Exclusion Zones" Have No Standing Under UNCLOS
An "exclusion zone" is a unilateral military declaration by a state — typically during armed conflict — warning that vessels or aircraft entering a defined area risk being attacked or restricted, without conferring any recognised legal jurisdiction under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS, 1982). The best-known precedent is the United Kingdom's Maritime Exclusion Zone and later Total Exclusion Zone (200 nautical miles around the Falkland Islands) during the 1982 Falklands War, which Britain justified under Article 51 of the UN Charter (self-defence) rather than under the Law of the Sea, since UNCLOS recognises no such "exclusion zone" category.
Key Details
- UNCLOS recognises only specific maritime zones with defined rights: territorial sea (12 nautical miles), contiguous zone (24 nm), Exclusive Economic Zone or EEZ (200 nm, economic/resource rights only), and continental shelf — none of which permit a coastal state to bar navigation through an international strait
- The UK's 1982 Total Exclusion Zone was widely noted by international law scholars as having no basis in the Law of the Sea as it then stood, resting instead on the laws of armed conflict
- Iran is a signatory to UNCLOS but has not ratified it, and separately does not accept "transit passage" (unimpeded passage for all vessels, including warships) through the Strait of Hormuz, applying its own domestic law requiring conditions akin to "innocent passage"
By declaring an "exclusion zone," Iran is asserting a wartime military control measure over an international strait rather than exercising any coastal-state right recognised under UNCLOS, a distinction relevant to how other states may legally respond to or contest the move.
Unilateral Sanctions Lists vs UN Security Council Sanctions
A country unilaterally placing foreign-flagged vessels or entities on its own "sanctions list" — as Iran has proposed for ships attempting to use the Strait of Hormuz — is legally distinct from sanctions imposed multilaterally by the UN Security Council under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which are binding on all UN member states. India's long-standing foreign policy position, rooted in its non-aligned tradition, is to comply with UNSC-mandated sanctions (implemented domestically via the United Nations (Security Council) Act, 1947) while opposing unilateral sanctions imposed by individual states as inconsistent with international law and national sovereignty.
Key Details
- UNSC sanctions require a Chapter VII resolution and bind all 193 UN member states; unilateral sanctions bind only the declaring state's own jurisdiction and enforcement reach
- India has repeatedly stated, including in trilateral fora with Russia and China, that unilateral sanctions "beyond those adopted by the UNSC" undermine the legitimacy of the multilateral sanctions regime
- The Ministry of External Affairs coordinates India's compliance with UNSC sanctions lists (e.g., 1267 Committee terrorism sanctions), which is a separate track from ad hoc unilateral measures by individual states
An Iranian unilateral sanctions list targeting ships approaching the Strait of Hormuz would carry no binding force on non-Iranian shipping under international law, though it signals the practical risk vessels — including those carrying Indian-bound or Indian-origin cargo — may face if they proceed toward the strait.
The Strait of Hormuz — India's Principal Energy Security Chokepoint
The Strait of Hormuz separates Iran from Oman and the UAE, linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea; it is the sole maritime export route for crude oil and LNG from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, and Iran itself, carrying roughly a fifth of the world's oil consumption on a daily basis at its narrowest point of about 21 nautical miles (39 km).
A declared exclusion zone near Hormuz raises freight, insurance, and geopolitical risk for tankers serving India, reinforcing the strategic rationale behind India's SPR buffer and crude-source diversification efforts.
- Strait of Hormuz narrowest width: approximately 21 nautical miles (about 39 km), between Iran and Oman
- Roughly one-fifth of global oil consumption transits the Strait of Hormuz daily
- UK's 1982 Falklands Total Exclusion Zone: 200 nautical miles radius, declared under UN Charter Article 51, not under the Law of the Sea
- India's Strategic Petroleum Reserve capacity: about 5.33 million tonnes across Visakhapatnam, Mangaluru, and Padur, covering roughly 9-10 days of net imports
- Iran has signed but not ratified UNCLOS (1982); India ratified UNCLOS in 1995
- The exclusion zone announcement followed a US strike on three Iranian oil tankers and reported Iranian ballistic missile launches at US Navy warships