U.S Asks Iran To Issue Public Statement Declaring Strait Of Hormuz Open & Ships Won’t Be Attacked

The U.S has asked Iran to issue a public statement declaring that the Strait of Hormuz is open and that ships passing through the waterway won’t be attacked.

Senior U.S officials said that the resumption of strikes comes amidst what they called a rogue faction of hardliners in the Islamic Republic trying to sabotage the ceasefire between the U.S and Iran.

The development came after Trump said on social media that the deal with Iran is over, though he also said that the U.S would continue talks to put a permanent end to the war.

The negotiators said that Trump was giving Iran a limited time to reach a deal, but if the talks fail, there are many options that he could take against the Islamic Republic.

They also said that a power struggle was playing out in Iran after U.S and Israeli strikes killed the former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran’s diplomat at the U.N. told reporters that any activity in Hormuz, including its opening or demining operations, rests solely 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,” Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said outside the UN Security Council.

Iran said that ships must pay a fee to cross the waterway, even though the world considered it an international shipping corridor for decades.

It also said that Hormuz can never return to the pre-war status quo. Iran’s grip on Hormuz has led to a global energy crisis, though prices have still dropped since the wartime high of $120 a barrel.