US demands Iran publicly declare the Strait of Hormuz open to navigation
Iran's envoy to the United Nations reacts immediately: operations in the area "fall exclusively on Iran."
By Michelle L. Price | The Associated Press, Jon Gambrell | The Associated Press and Will Weissert | The Associated Press • 3 hours ago • Updated 2 hours ago
The strait is a narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of the world's oil passes.
The US government has demanded that Iran publicly announce that the Strait of Hormuz is open and that vessels traversing the waterway will no longer be attacked, senior Washington officials reported on Friday, adding that internal power disputes in Tehran have made it difficult to reach and maintain an agreement.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the situation with Iran, said military actions resumed this week after a rogue Iranian faction attempted to sabotage the ceasefire between Tehran and Washington.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump reiterated on Friday on social media that he considers the provisional ceasefire agreement "Over!" He added, however, that the US would continue talks with the goal of a permanent end to the war.
The officials said Friday that Trump has given US negotiators a limited time to reach an agreement with Iran but, as a sign of the complicated landscape, they noted that the president has a wide range of options if talks collapse. They also indicated there is currently a dispute within Iran's government, after the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in the initial US and Israeli airstrikes that started the war.
Iran says it wants to control "exclusivity" of the Strait of Hormuz
The US seeks to pressure Iran to make a public declaration that the Strait of Hormuz, a vital maritime route for global energy markets, is open and free for commercial navigation, the officials said.
Just moments before the US officials' statements, Iran's envoy to the United Nations told reporters at the UN headquarters that any activity in the Strait of Hormuz, including its opening or mine removal operations, "falls exclusively on Iran."
"Any attempt by external actors to interfere or establish a power arrangement would violate the (provisional agreement) and undermine its implementation, delay the restoration of normal commercial navigation, endanger maritime security, and increase regional tensions," said Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani.
Iran insists the strait should now be under its exclusive control and that vessels should start paying fees to Tehran, despite the world having long considered it an international waterway. About one-fifth of all traded oil and natural gas passed through the strait before the war began.
Iran's control over the strait during the conflict caused a global energy crisis, although oil prices have fallen sharply from the peak of $120 per barrel reached during the war.
Condition for a nuclear agreement: delivery of Iran's enriched uranium
US officials said any agreement on Iran's nuclear program would require Tehran to hand over its stocks of highly enriched uranium. If the US does not finalize a deal with Tehran for the delivery of its nuclear material, it has military options to ensure it remains buried forever, the officials said. They did not detail those options.
It is believed that the highly enriched uranium that could be used for nuclear weapons manufacture is buried after the US attacks on Iran last summer. Tehran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
The officials added that a nuclear deal will never be reached if Iran does not first comply with the ceasefire terms and end its attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
Unclaimed attacks occurred after US ended its offensive
No one had claimed responsibility by Friday for airstrikes that hit Iran after the US said it had ended its offensive, raising new questions about who else might be attacking the Islamic Republic.
Iranian state media on Friday published statements from Esmail Kousari, a member of Iran's parliamentary national security committee and former Revolutionary Guard commander, warning that the United Arab Emirates "will pay the price for its cooperation with the United States." He accused the Emirates of having a "behind-the-scenes" role in recent US attacks.
A spokesman for US Central Command, Captain Tim Hawkins, said there were "no operational updates" after Trump's statement on the ceasefire.
The Persian Gulf Arab states, which have been targeted by Tehran repeatedly since the start of the war on February 28, had not yet responded to requests for comment on the attacks. Israel, which participated in the war against Iran, has also not claimed responsibility for the latest attacks on the Islamic Republic.
The Thursday attacks, which coincided with Khamenei's funeral, hit southern Iran. The country's theocracy has not directly blamed anyone for the offensive, although a legislator issued a warning to the UAE for its alleged support of the US campaign against Iran.
Iran responded to Thursday's offensive by launching a broader salvo of attacks across the Middle East, targeting Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, and Qatar. According to reports, one person was injured in Kuwait as air defense systems targeted incoming fire across the region.
Military officials said they hold Iran accountable "for the recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway."
Mediators and allies regroup after attacks
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi plans to discuss the situation in the Strait of Hormuz with his Omani counterpart on Saturday in Oman, state news agency IRNA reported. Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told state broadcaster TRT that he believes "a solution can be reached" this weekend between Iran and Oman, which lie on opposite sides of the narrow waterway.
The US maintains its call for vessels to navigate a southern route through Oman's territorial waters to avoid Iran.
The UAE leader, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, traveled to Kuwait immediately after the Iranian attack for a meeting with the ruling emir of the small oil-rich nation. The Persian Gulf Arab states also held calls with Qatar's foreign minister. He has been deeply involved, along with Pakistan, in mediating talks between Iran and the US.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif revealed that on Friday he spoke separately with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, emphasizing to both the need for restraint and diplomacy.
The Israeli government said Netanyahu spoke with Trump on Thursday night, and the Republican president updated Netanyahu "on US movements in the Persian Gulf."
Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz also renewed threats that his nation was ready to confront Iran if necessary.
"If we have to return, we will return with even greater force," Katz said at a military ceremony.
Associated Press journalists Konstantin Toropin in Washington and Farnoush Amiri in New York contributed to this report. Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
This story was translated from English with the help of a generative artificial intelligence tool. A Telemundo Digital editor reviewed the translation.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
