According to Reuters and Axios, the officials made the comments during a background briefing with a small group of reporters, saying recent talks with Iran had been “productive” but that Washington expected Tehran to take visible steps to de-escalate tensions.
“What we are asking for is a public statement that all waterways in the Strait of Hormuz are open and that they will no longer fire on vessels,” one U.S. official was quoted as saying. “If they do not make such a statement, the outcome will not be good for them.”
The official said Washington wants Iran to publicly acknowledge that it will stop firing on ships and, either explicitly or implicitly, admit that the recent attacks were a mistake. The official also said Iran should declare that all routes through the strait are open and that no transit fees will be imposed.
“President Trump has instructed us to talk,” the official said. “But as the president has made clear, if they continue firing on vessels or take other hostile actions, we will retaliate.”
One official described the situation inside Iran as a power struggle between hard-liners and officials who favor negotiations with the Trump administration over the implementation of a ceasefire memorandum of understanding and the next stage of talks.
The officials also said any nuclear agreement with Iran would depend on Tehran handing over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the United States. Iran is believed to hold more than 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium.
They said Washington expects Iran to issue a statement after a meeting between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi in Muscat on Sunday.
The United States and Iran signed a ceasefire memorandum of understanding on June 17, agreeing to discuss the suspension of Iran’s nuclear program and the lifting of sanctions during a 60-day ceasefire period.
But the talks have effectively broken down after Iran attacked commercial vessels using routes near the coast of Oman rather than shipping lanes designated by Tehran in the Strait of Hormuz, leading to renewed military clashes between the two countries.
Trump formally declared an end to the ceasefire Thursday, while Iran responded by saying there would be “no surrender,” raising fears of further escalation in one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints.
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