The United States has issued Iran a 24-hour deadline to publicly affirm that the Strait of Hormuz will remain open to commercial shipping and to halt attacks on merchant vessels, according to an Axios report. Washington has warned that failing to do so could trigger "serious consequences", while indicating that contingency plans are already in place should diplomatic efforts break down.
"The message has been conveyed directly and through regional mediators," the report said, citing US officials. One official warned, “If it is not their position [tomorrow], it is not gonna be a great day for them."
According to Axios, the Trump administration wants Tehran to make a public commitment that the Strait of Hormuz will remain accessible to commercial vessels and to pledge an end to attacks on merchant shipping.
“We want them to publicly say that they will stop shooting at ships and explicitly, or at least implicitly, acknowledge that they screwed up," one US official was quoted as saying.
The same official said Washington also expects Iran to declare that all commercial shipping routes through the strategic waterway will remain open and free of tolls.
The report said US officials believe Tehran breached last month's memorandum of understanding by targeting commercial vessels, prompting two rounds of retaliatory US strikes.
Iranian and Omani officials are scheduled to meet in Muscat on Saturday, with the United States hoping Tehran will reaffirm its commitment to freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to travel to Oman for discussions centred on the waterway and maritime security. Iranian state media described the visit as a “continuation of the consultations that we started with Oman over the past one or two months".
The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most strategically important maritime routes, continues to be at the centre of tensions between Washington and Tehran. Iran effectively closed the waterway after the conflict launched by the United States and Israel in late February, making the passage a key flashpoint in the ongoing standoff.
