ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The new restricted area in the Strait of Hormuz extends from Iran’s easternmost Chahbahar port on the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Wednesday, warning of penalties for vessels engaging in unauthorized transit.

IRGC spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi said the “restricted area extends approximately from Chabahar to a portion of the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.”

“If any vessel passes through the restricted area of the Strait of Hormuz, the precise coordinates of which will be announced, all maritime, insurance, and support services to that vessel will be suspended; in such a way that it will be denied access to these services even on subsequent passages through the Strait of Hormuz,” he added.

Iran has shut the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil is transported, as part of its war against the US and Israel, contributing to a sharp rise in oil prices. The US has responded by imposing a naval blockade on Iranian ports, which US President Donald Trump has said costs Iran $500 million a day.

Control of the waterway has been a salient issue in the conflict, with Tehran having made clear their intention to end free transit and establish a tolling or fee-paying mechanism despite vehement US objections.

"It is expected that a joint memorandum of understanding between Iran and Oman, aimed at creating a temporary safe passage for shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, will be officially registered with the International Maritime Organization in the coming days,” foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said during a press conference, with Muscat set to play a vital important role in any future management of the stait given its position as a fellow littoral state.

In mid-August, Iran said it has reached an agreement with Oman on "a shipping traffic map" in the Strait of Hormuz, adding that talks have progressed positively "despite US obstruction."

Hostilities between the US and Iran flared in early September when US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it was hitting IRGC targets in Iran following its alleged attempts to attack commercial ships.

Earlier on Wednesday, the IRGC said it struck "two American vessels and eight oil tankers," as well as announcing separate strikes on US forces in Jordan, in retaliation for US attacks on Iranian ships.

Jordan has emerged as a key target for Iran on account of the US military presence. Amman said that 18 of 20 incoming projectiles were intercepted by air defense systems.

CENTCOM later denied claims that two of its destroyers were struck, insisting that “no US Navy warship has been struck” while asserting that it has destroyed ten Iranian tankers in the past week.