The United States has told Iran it must publicly declare an end to attacks on shipping transiting the Strait of Hormuz and confirm that all lanes remain open to commercial vessels with no tolls, senior U.S. officials said on Friday.
Officials made the demand during a conference call with a small group of reporters, saying recent discussions with Tehran had been productive. The U.S. position is precise: an explicit public statement is required that acknowledges all channels through the strait are open and that Iranian forces are no longer firing on ships.
"What we 9re demanding is that the Iranians issue a public statement that acknowledges all channels of the Strait of Hormuz are open and they 9re not shooting at ships anymore. They 9re either going to give us that statement or we 9re not having a good outcome for them," one official said.
Those comments followed a series of attacks on vessels this week. Three ships were struck, and U.S. President Donald Trump ordered U.S. strikes on Iranian targets in response. The president has also stated that a June ceasefire the two sides signed is no longer in effect.
U.S. officials reported that Iran has told Washington the recent incidents were caused by "an errant part of their system." At the same time, an official described a visible, ongoing power struggle inside Iran between hardline elements and more pragmatic voices, a dynamic the U.S. says appears to be unfolding in real time.
From a transportation and logistics perspective, the core U.S. demand focuses on unimpeded maritime transit through one of the world's key chokepoints. The officials emphasized the need for clear, public assurances rather than private commitments. Conversations in recent days were characterized by U.S. officials as productive, but the public declaration remains the stated prerequisite for de-escalation from Washington's standpoint.
Officials did not provide additional operational timelines or detail further steps should Iran decline to make the requested public statement. The information released on the call reiterates the U.S. position and reflects continuing efforts to secure formal, publicly verifiable commitments on safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.