‘Make a public statement or …’: US presses Iran to guarantee Strait of Hormuz is fully open

As the United States and Iran continue to trade strikes, Washington is reportedly pressuring Tehran to affirm that the Strait of Hormuz is fully open to shipping traffic and that its forces will not fire at vessels.According to a report by The Hill, US officials said that US President Donald Trump is expecting a public statement from Iran, warning that there won’t be a “good outcome” if it refuses.US officials said conversations between the two countries had been productive in recent days. They made the comments to a small group of reporters in a conference call.“What we’re demanding is that the Iranians issue a public statement that acknowledges all channels of the Strait of ⁠Hormuz are open and they’re not shooting at ships anymore. They’re either going to give us that statement or we’re not having a good outcome for them,” one official said.Iran has told Washington that recent attacks on shipping in the strait were from “an errant part of their system,” one senior official said.This comes after Trump declared that the six-day ceasefire was over, accusing both sides of violating the terms of the memorandum of understanding reached last month.“The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to continue ‘talks.’ We have agreed to do so, but the United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the Cease Fire is OVER!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.Earlier this week, the US carried out strikes against roughly 90 targets inside Iran in response to its attacks on ships in the waterway, through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply flows daily during peacetime.The strikes targeted air defense systems, coastal surveillance assets, missile and drone storage sites, naval capabilities, and military logistics infrastructure along Iran’s coastline, according to US Central Command.Iran has also fired drones and missiles toward US allies in the Middle East, including three Gulf countries where some US military assets and troops are located.“The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway,” CENTCOM said Wednesday in a statement on the social platform X.Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, one of Iran’s lead negotiators, is expected to travel to Oman on Saturday for “ongoing consultations” about the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iran International.“Iran accepted clear responsibility regarding the establishment of normal arrangements and maritime services related to vessel traffic in the strait, and has been very determined and firm in this regard,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said, according to the London-based outlet.Fifteen ships have transited the strait in the past 24 hours, according to a real-time dashboard tracking the ongoing situation in the waterway. That is a fraction of its normal traffic. At least 285 more vessels, most of them tankers, are waiting.