U.S. Demands Iran Publicly Commit to Ending Attacks in Strait of Hormuz

The United States is demanding that Iran issue a public statement committing to end attacks on merchant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and to keep all shipping lanes open without charging tolls, according to senior U.S. officials.

Citing reports from Reuters and the U.S. media outlet Axios, U.S. officials stated during a private briefing with reporters on July 10 that recent talks with Iran over the past few days have been productive.

One official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, "What we are demanding is for Iran to issue a public statement declaring that all waterways in the Strait of Hormuz are open and that they will no longer fire upon ships," adding, "If they do not issue such a statement, there will be no good outcome for them."

The official further stated, "We hope they reach a point where they publicly announce they will stop firing on ships and, whether explicitly or implicitly, acknowledge their mistakes," and added, "We expect Iran to announce that it will open all shipping lanes in the Strait and will not impose any tolls."

The official emphasized, "President (Donald Trump) has instructed us to engage in dialogue, but as the President has made clear, if they continue to fire on ships or engage in other hostile acts, we will retaliate."

U.S. officials also revealed that Iran had conveyed in recent private contacts that the attacks on merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz were the work of "rogue elements within the government system."

This implies that Iran has explained that certain hardline factions within the regime attacked the merchant ships to intentionally disrupt a ceasefire with the United States.

In response, one official assessed that a power struggle is underway within the Iranian regime between hardliners and pragmatists over the implementation of a previous Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and the next steps in negotiations with the Trump administration.

Regarding nuclear negotiations, U.S. officials emphasized that the transfer of Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the United States is a key prerequisite.

Iran is currently known to possess over 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium.

One official warned, "If we do not secure the nuclear material, an agreement with Iran will not be reached," adding that if Iran refuses, the United States has "various options" at its disposal, including military and economic measures.

Another official stated that no nuclear deal would be concluded unless Iran complies with ceasefire conditions and ceases attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. officials also claimed that Iran had initiated requests for further discussions to resolve the conflict following recent military skirmishes surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.

They expressed expectations that Iran would issue a statement regarding the recent situation following a meeting between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, scheduled to be held in Muscat, Oman, on July 12.

The United States and Iran signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on June 17 to cease hostilities and discuss the suspension of Iran's nuclear program and the lifting of sanctions against Iran over a 60-day period.

However, the negotiations based on the ceasefire have effectively been neutralized after Iran repeatedly attacked merchant ships using routes off the coast of Oman—rather than the routes designated by Iran—in the Strait of Hormuz, leading to renewed military clashes between the U.S. and Iran.

President Trump officially declared an end to the ceasefire with Iran on this day, and with Iran responding that there will be "no surrender," military tensions are escalating.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.