The Trump administration has issued a strict ultimatum to Tehran, demanding a public commitment to halt all attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The demand follows a severe military escalation earlier this week, when U.S. Central Command struck more than 80 Iranian targets in retaliation for attacks on three commercial tankers.
With global oil futures surging 5% following the initial exchange of fire, the diplomatic focus now shifts to a scheduled Saturday meeting in Muscat. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi are set to hold discussions, after which Washington expects a formal statement from Iran acknowledging the misstep and guaranteeing toll-free navigation.
President Donald Trump confirmed via Truth Social that the U.S. agreed to a request from Iran to continue peace talks, though he stated the previous ceasefire is officially over. According to a report by AP News, failure to comply with the U.S. demand for a public statement could result in harsh consequences. Behind the scenes, senior U.S. officials noted that Iranian representatives privately blamed the shipping attacks on an “errant part” of their political system. This back-channel messaging was verified by the Straits Times, highlighting an apparent internal fracture between hardliners and pragmatists in Tehran.
The recent clashes mark the most violent period between the two nations since they signed a memorandum extending a ceasefire just over three weeks ago. In direct retaliation for the tanker attacks, the U.S. Treasury Department officially revoked an oil sanctions waiver, cutting off a critical revenue source for Tehran.
Iranian officials forcefully rejected the American narrative surrounding the diplomatic timeline. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei denied that Tehran ever requested a fresh round of talks. He claimed Iran only agreed to a Qatari-mediated proposal to hold discussions domestically. Prior to this diplomatic push, Iran had insisted that maritime control and demining operations in the Strait of Hormuz remain exclusively under its jurisdiction.