US asks Iran to publicly guarantee safety in Strait of Hormuz

Washington,UPDATED: Jul 11, 2026 02:58 IST

The United States is pressing Iran to make a public statement that the Strait of Hormuz is open and that ships passing through the key waterway will not be attacked, senior US officials said on Friday. The officials also said power struggles inside Tehran have made it harder to reach and sustain a deal, even as Washington continues talks aimed at ending the war permanently.

The developments came after fresh strikes this week, which US officials described as the work of a rogue faction of Iranian hard-liners trying to derail the ceasefire between Tehran and Washington. US President Donald Trump said on social media that he sees the interim ceasefire deal as "OVER!", but added that the US would continue negotiations to bring the conflict to a permanent end.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Trump has given US negotiators limited time to secure a deal and retains a wide range of options if the talks collapse. They also said a power struggle is unfolding in Iran after US and Israeli strikes at the start of the war killed its longtime leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

According to the officials, Washington wants Tehran to publicly declare that the Strait of Hormuz is open for transit. But shortly before the officials briefed reporters, Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, said any activity in the strait, including its opening or demining, "rests exclusively with Iran". "Any attempt, by external actors, to interfere with or establish a power arrangement would violate the (interim deal), and undermine its implementation, delay the restoration of normal commercial navigation, jeopardise maritime safety, and increase regional tensions," Iravani said outside the UN Security Council.

Iran has said the strait should now remain under its sole control and that vessels should start paying fees to Tehran, despite the waterway being regarded internationally for decades as open to global shipping. Before the war, about a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas passed through the strait. Iran's control over the passage during the conflict triggered a global energy crisis, although oil prices have since fallen sharply from wartime highs of USD 120 a barrel.

No one claimed responsibility on Friday for airstrikes that hit Iran after the US said it had ended its attacks, raising questions over who may still be targeting the country. US Central Command spokesperson Capt Tim Hawkins said there were "no operational updates" after Trump's ceasefire announcement. Gulf Arab states, which have been repeatedly targeted by Iran since the war began on February 28, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Israel, which took part in the war, has also not claimed any recent strikes on Iran.

The strikes on Thursday hit parts of southern Iran just as the country was preparing to bury Khamenei. Iran's clerical leadership has not directly blamed anyone, though one lawmaker warned the United Arab Emirates over alleged support for the US campaign. Iran responded by launching a broader volley of attacks across the Middle East, targeting Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Qatar. One person was reportedly injured in Kuwait as air defence systems tried to intercept the incoming fire.

Diplomatic activity also gathered pace. Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi would discuss the strait with his Omani counterpart at a meeting in Oman on Saturday. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told TRT that he believed "a solution can be reached" this weekend between Iran and Oman, which sit on opposite sides of the narrow waterway.

UAE leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan travelled to Kuwait immediately after the Iranian attack for talks with the country's emir. Gulf Arab countries also held calls with Qatar's foreign minister, who has been deeply involved in mediating Iran-US talks along with Pakistan. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he spoke separately on Friday with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and stressed the need for restraint and diplomacy. Israel's government said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Trump on Thursday night and was updated on "American moves in the Gulf". Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz also renewed his warning to Iran, saying: "If we will have to return, we will return with even greater force."

Iran meanwhile kept up its threats. State media quoted Esmail Kousari, a member of parliament's national security committee and a former Revolutionary Guard commander, as saying the UAE would "pay the price for its cooperation with the United States" and accusing it of a "behind-the-scenes" role in the recent US attacks. Even as talks continue, Iran is insisting on sole control of the Strait of Hormuz, while the US is still urging mariners to use a southern route through Oman's territorial waters to avoid Iran.

With PTI Inputs

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