Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Jul 11: The United States is pressing Iran to publicly declare that the Strait of Hormuz is open to international shipping and that vessels passing through the strategic waterway will no longer face attacks, senior US officials said on Friday, amid continuing efforts to secure a lasting ceasefire.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the officials said Washington's demand comes as internal power struggles in Tehran have complicated negotiations and made it difficult to reach and sustain a permanent agreement.
The officials claimed that the resumption of strikes earlier this week followed attempts by what they described as a rogue faction of Iranian hardliners seeking to undermine the ceasefire between Tehran and Washington.
The remarks came after US President Donald Trump reiterated on social media that, although he considered the interim ceasefire to be "OVER!", the United States would continue diplomatic talks aimed at ending the conflict permanently.
According to the officials, Trump has given US negotiators only a limited window to secure an agreement with Iran. They added that the President still has several options available should the negotiations collapse.
The officials also said Iran is experiencing an internal power struggle following the deaths of its long-time leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior figures during US-Israeli strikes at the start of the conflict.
Washington is seeking a public commitment from Tehran that the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important energy transit routes, will remain open and safe for commercial shipping.
However, Iran rejected the demand.
Iran's Ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, told reporters outside the UN Security Council that all activities in the Strait of Hormuz, including reopening the waterway or conducting demining operations, "rest exclusively with Iran."
"Any attempt, by external actors, to interfere with or establish a power arrangement would violate the interim deal, undermine its implementation, delay the restoration of normal commercial navigation, jeopardise maritime safety, and increase regional tensions," Iravani said.
Iran has maintained that it alone should control the strait and has proposed charging transit fees to vessels, despite the international community long recognising the waterway as an international shipping route.
Before the conflict, nearly one-fifth of the world's traded oil and natural gas passed through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's control over the waterway during the war triggered a global energy crisis, although oil prices have since fallen sharply from wartime highs of around USD 120 per barrel.
Meanwhile, uncertainty continues over a fresh wave of airstrikes that struck southern Iran after the United States announced it had concluded its military operations, with no country claiming responsibility.
US Central Command spokesperson Capt Tim Hawkins said there were "no operational updates" following Trump's announcement regarding the ceasefire.
Several Gulf Arab states, which have been repeatedly targeted by Iran since the conflict began on Feb 28, did not immediately comment on the latest strikes. Israel, which participated in military operations against Iran, has also not claimed responsibility.
The strikes on Thursday, carried out as Iran prepared for the burial of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, targeted several locations across southern Iran. Although Tehran has not directly blamed any country, one Iranian lawmaker accused the United Arab Emirates of assisting the US military campaign.
Iran responded by launching a broader barrage of missile attacks targeting Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Qatar. One person was reportedly injured in Kuwait as air defence systems intercepted incoming missiles across the region.
Diplomatic efforts continued on Friday as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi prepared to meet his Omani counterpart in Oman on Saturday to discuss the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iran's state-run IRNA news agency.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told state broadcaster TRT that he believed progress could be achieved during the weekend talks between Iran and Oman, which lie on opposite sides of the strategic waterway.
United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan travelled to Kuwait immediately after Iran's latest attacks for talks with the country's ruling Emir. Gulf Arab nations also held discussions with Qatar's foreign minister, who, alongside Pakistan, has played a key role in mediating talks between Tehran and Washington.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he separately spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Friday, stressing the need for restraint and continued diplomacy.
Israel also maintained its hardline stance, with the government confirming that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with President Trump on Thursday night, during which Trump updated him on American actions in the Gulf.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that Israel remained prepared to act again if necessary.
"If we will have to return, we will return with even greater force," Katz said during a military ceremony.
Meanwhile, Iranian state media quoted Esmail Kousari, a member of parliament's national security committee and a former Revolutionary Guard commander, as warning that the United Arab Emirates would "pay the price for its cooperation with the United States."
Kousari accused the UAE of playing a "behind-the-scenes" role in recent US attacks against Iran.
Despite Tehran's insistence that it alone should control the Strait of Hormuz, the United States continues to advise commercial vessels to use a southern route through Oman's territorial waters to minimise the risk of confrontation with Iran.