The decision was announced by a Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman on January 17, just a day after Iraq recalled its envoy from Tehran after civilians were killed in an IRGC missile strike in Irbil.
"The bombings on Gaza must stop immediately ... the path of oil and food exports to the Zionist regime should be stopped," Khamenei said in a speech, according to Iranian state media.
The United States, Britain and the European Union announced new sanctions on multiple Iranian individuals and entities on Friday, the eve of the first anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death in police custody.
The security forces would provide a further layer of protection for the tankers in addition to the warships and planes operating in the strategically vital area, through which around a fifth of the world's oil passes.
