IRGC expands maritime restrictions into Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea, warns of 20-to-2 retaliation

TEHRAN — Iran has expanded its maritime restrictions beyond the Strait of Hormuz to parts of the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, while the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said U.S. warships have with     drawn at least 400 kilometers from the strategic waterway, as Tehran warned it would answer every two or three enemy targets with strikes on 20.
IRGC spokesman Brigadier General Hussein Mohebbi said on Wednesday that the expanded restricted maritime zone will begin around the southeastern port of Chabahar and extend across parts of the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea, including routes that could lead toward the Strait of Hormuz. He said the precise coordinates will be announced later.
“We have reached a point where if the enemy hits two or three of our targets, we will respond strongly with 20 targets,” Mohebbi told reporters.
He said the U.S. naval presence in the Persian Gulf has dramatically changed since the beginning of the 40-day “Ramadan War” in February. 
“Before the Ramadan War, about 30 to 40 U.S. warships and naval vessels were present inside the Persian Gulf, but today not a single one of them is in this area,” Mohebbi said. “U.S. warships have distanced themselves at least 400 kilometers from the Strait of Hormuz.”
The remarks came amid a sharp escalation between Iran and the United States following U.S. attacks on Iranian vessels and Iranian retaliatory missile operations against American military and naval assets in the region.
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