US wants Iran to pledge to stop shooting at ships in Strait of Hormuz

Lead

The United States is pressing Iran to publicly commit to keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and to stop firing on commercial ships, as diplomatic efforts continue following recent clashes in the strategic waterway. US officials conveyed the demand to Tehran's leadership through regional mediators, according to reports from Axios and CBS News, as cited by BBC and Jerusalem Post.

Coverage Comparison

US President Donald Trump demanded that Iran publicly acknowledge that it fired at ships in the Strait of Hormuz, Axios reported on Friday, as detailed by the Jerusalem Post. Three US officials with knowledge of the matter told reporters at a press briefing that the message was conveyed directly to Iranian officials, the report said.

BBC reported that the US wants Iran to publicly state that the Strait of Hormuz is open and to pledge to stop firing on commercial ships as part of negotiations due to be held on Saturday. US media cited unnamed officials as saying Tehran had privately acknowledged to President Trump's advisers that the shooting at ships was a mistake, though the Iranians reportedly pinned the blame on a rogue internal group.

Trump has said both sides have agreed to continue talks despite this week's fighting over the Strait of Hormuz. In a briefing for reporters on Friday, the US officials said a message to Tehran's leadership had been conveyed through regional mediators demanding Iran release a statement declaring the strait open and that it will stop shooting at commercial ships, according to multiple media reports.

"They're either going to give us that statement or we're not having a good outcome for them," said one official, quoted by Reuters news agency, as reported by BBC.

Vice-President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and two people who have been heavily involved in Middle East talks - special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner - are expected to lead negotiations, which were expected to take place in Oman on Saturday. Meanwhile, a delegation from Qatar travelled to Iran on Friday for talks aimed at defusing tensions and easing navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

Key Claims

• US President Donald Trump demanded that Iran publicly acknowledge that it fired at ships in the Strait of Hormuz, as reported by Axios and cited by the Jerusalem Post.
• Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Omani counterpart exchanged views on "appropriate mechanisms" for the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with Article 5 of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding, Araghchi said on his Telegram channel, as reported by the Jerusalem Post.
• The teams in Oman are reportedly discussing a potential statement on opening a "median lane" in the Strait of Hormuz for free and full movement, Axios reported, as cited by the Jerusalem Post.
• Trump said earlier this weekend that the ceasefire was over, though he noted that Iran had requested to resume talks, as reported by both BBC and the Jerusalem Post.
• Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei denied that Iran had requested negotiations with the US, according to the Jerusalem Post.
• The US and Iran signed a ceasefire agreement in June where Iran would, in part, give safe passage to commercial ships, as reported by BBC.
• Tehran privately acknowledged to President Donald Trump's advisers that the shooting at ships was a mistake, according to unnamed US officials cited by CBS News and reported by BBC. A senior US official told the TV network: "They [the Iranians] came back to the table and said, 'We screwed up. We made a mistake. Let's keep talking.'"
• Iran blamed the shooting on a rogue internal group, with Tehran saying that an "errant" sect of hardliners was trying to undermine negotiations by firing on the commercial ships, senior US officials told CBS News, as reported by BBC.