US wants public assurance from Iran on Strait of Hormuz

WASHINGTON (AP):
The US is demanding that Iran make a public statement saying the Strait of Hormuz is open and that ships crossing the vital corridor won’t be attacked anymore, senior US officials said yesterday, adding that internal Tehran power struggles have made it difficult to reach and keep a deal.
The US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe to reporters the state of play with Iran, said the resumption of strikes this week came after what they described as a rogue faction of Iranian hard-liners trying to sabotage the ceasefire between Tehran and Washington.
It comes as US President Donald Trump reiterated on social media yesterday that he views the interim ceasefire deal as “OVER!”. But he said the US would continue talks aimed at putting a permanent end to the war.
The officials said that Trump is giving U negotiators limited time to reach a deal with Iran, but, in a sign of the challenges ahead, they underscored that the president had a wide range of options if talks fall apart. They also said a power struggle was playing out in real time in Iran after US and Israeli strikes at the start of the war killed its long-time leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The US is working on pressing Iran to make a public statement that the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for world energy markets, is open and free to ships to transit, the officials said.
But, moments before the US officials spoke, Tehran’s diplomat at the United Nations told reporters that any activity in the Strait of Hormuz, including its opening or demining operations, “rests exclusively with Iran”.
“Any attempt, by external actors, to interfere with or establish a power arrangement would violate the (interim deal), and 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 has said the strait must now be under its sole control and that vessels should begin to pay fees to Tehran – even though the world for decades has considered it an international waterway. About a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas passed through the strait before the war began.
Iran’s grip on the strait during the conflict led to a global energy crisis, though oil prices have sharply dropped since wartime highs of US$120 a barrel.
No one claimed responsibility yesterday for airstrikes that hit Iran after the US said it finished its attacks, leaving questions about who else may be targeting the Islamic Republic.
US Central Command spokesperson Captain Tm Hawkins said there were “no operational updates” after Trump’s pronouncement about the ceasefire.
Gulf Arab states, which Iran has targeted repeatedly since the war began February 28, did not immediately respond to requests for comment yesterday about the strikes. Israel, which took part in the Iran war, also has not claimed any recent attacks on Iran.