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The United States is pressing Iran to publicly commit to ending attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and guarantee that all shipping lanes remain open without tolls, according to a report citing senior U.S. officials.
Recent discussions between Washington and Tehran have been productive, but any broader agreement depends on Iran publicly guaranteeing freedom of navigation through the strategic waterway, the officials told Reuters.
The officials said Tehran attributed the recent attacks on commercial vessels to "an errant part of their system," as an apparent struggle between hardliners and pragmatists unfolds inside Iran, while continuing to reject relinquishing control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Washington is also seeking a resolution to the nuclear dispute under the 60-day negotiation framework established by a memorandum of understanding signed in June.
Officials described Iran's stockpile of more than 900 pounds of highly enriched uranium as a fundamental issue that must be addressed before any deal can be finalized, the report noted.
The report came as U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that Washington had agreed to continue talks with Iran after Tehran requested further discussions, even as he insisted that the ceasefire between the two countries is no longer in effect.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei denied that Tehran had requested negotiations with Washington and warned that any breach of U.S. commitments would be met with "reciprocal action."
The ceasefire, brokered in mid-June under a Pakistan-mediated memorandum of understanding, was intended to halt hostilities, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and launch a 60-day negotiation period aimed at reaching a broader agreement.
The agreement began to unravel after Iran attacked three commercial vessels in the strategic waterway, accusing Washington of violating the memorandum by encouraging ships to use a southern route through Omani waters instead of a transit system Tehran says it is entitled to oversee.
The U.S. responded with strikes on Iranian military targets, prompting Tehran to retaliate with attacks on U.S. military infrastructure in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Jordan.
Amid the renewed tensions, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is due to travel to Oman on Saturday at the head of a diplomatic delegation for talks with Omani officials on bilateral relations and regional developments, according to Iran's official IRNA news agency.
The situation in the Strait of Hormuz is expected to top the agenda, though no further details about the visit or planned meetings were immediately released.
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