Trump Demands Iran Guarantee Safe Passage Through Strait of Hormuz Amid Renewed Nuclear Talks: The Trump administration has intensified pressure on Iran, demanding that Tehran publicly guarantee the Strait of Hormuz will remain open to international shipping and immediately halt attacks on commercial vessels operating in the strategic waterway. The demand comes after a series of maritime attacks that Washington says violated a recently signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the two countries and pushed the region back toward military confrontation.
According to U.S. officials, the message has been delivered directly to Iranian representatives as well as through regional mediators, with Oman playing a central diplomatic role. Washington wants Iran to issue a public statement reaffirming freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and acknowledging responsibility for the recent attacks on commercial shipping.
The administration argues that Tehran breached the MOU signed just three weeks ago by repeatedly targeting merchant vessels in and around the strait. Those attacks triggered two rounds of U.S. military strikes against Iran and sparked fears of a wider regional conflict before tensions eased slightly on Thursday.
President Donald Trump has described the ceasefire as effectively “over,” warning that further attacks on international shipping would invite additional military action. While Washington has signaled it remains open to diplomacy, officials say Iran must first demonstrate that it is prepared to honor its commitments.
The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints, with nearly one-fifth of global oil shipments passing through the narrow passage every day. Any disruption threatens energy markets, shipping routes and the broader global economy.
Attention is now focused on Muscat, where Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi are expected to meet to discuss maritime security and the growing crisis in the Gulf. Oman has emerged as a key intermediary between Washington and Tehran throughout the latest round of negotiations.
Even before the memorandum of understanding was finalized, Oman had coordinated with the United States and Gulf allies to establish a southern shipping corridor near its coastline to ensure commercial vessels could safely transit the Strait of Hormuz. The move reportedly angered Iranian officials, who viewed it as weakening Tehran’s leverage over one of the region’s most strategically important waterways.
According to U.S. officials, Iranian negotiators privately acknowledged that hardline factions within the Iranian establishment were responsible for firing on commercial ships in an attempt to regain negotiating leverage. However, publicly, Iranian officials, including commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), have maintained that Tehran should retain control over navigation and maritime security in the strait.
Iran has rejected suggestions that it violated the agreement or sought renewed negotiations under American pressure. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Tehran remains committed to maintaining normal maritime operations and coordinating closely with Oman under the existing agreement.
“Iran accepted a clear responsibility regarding the establishment of normal arrangements and maritime services related to ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz,” Baghaei said, adding that the country’s cooperation with Oman remains ongoing.
However, Washington paints a different picture behind closed doors. One senior U.S. official claimed Iranian representatives contacted the Trump administration after two days of military exchanges, admitting mistakes had been made and expressing interest in continuing diplomatic discussions.
“They told us, ‘We screwed up. We made a mistake. Let’s keep talking,'” the official claimed during a briefing.
Iran has firmly denied those assertions, insisting it only agreed to discussions requested by Qatari mediators and did not seek direct negotiations with Washington following the recent clashes.
U.S. officials also believe an internal power struggle is unfolding within Iran’s leadership over whether to fully implement the memorandum of understanding and pursue a broader agreement with the United States.
“There are elements within their system that want to reach a deal, but they need to get things under control,” one official said, suggesting divisions between pragmatic negotiators and hardline factions continue to complicate diplomacy.
Washington expects Saturday’s meeting in Muscat to produce a public Iranian commitment to protecting commercial shipping. U.S. officials say they want Tehran to explicitly state that attacks on merchant vessels will stop and that all navigation channels through the Strait of Hormuz will remain open and free for international use.
“We expect the Iranians to say that every channel in the strait will be open and that it will be toll-free,” one U.S. official said.
Another senior official warned that failure to issue such assurances could trigger a tougher American response, signaling that military options remain on the table if diplomacy stalls.
Despite the recent escalation, U.S. officials insist negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program have made measurable progress during the past three weeks through a combination of direct and indirect talks. American negotiators say they continue engaging with Iranian officials who possess genuine decision-making authority and appear interested in reaching an agreement.
Nevertheless, the Strait of Hormuz crisis has raised fresh doubts inside the administration about whether Iran is capable of honoring a future nuclear agreement if internal political divisions continue to undermine negotiated commitments.
Officials stressed that President Trump remains willing to give diplomacy an opportunity, but emphasized that patience in Washington is limited. Contingency plans are reportedly being prepared should negotiations collapse or if Iran refuses to provide the guarantees the United States is demanding.
With the latest diplomatic effort unfolding in Oman, the outcome of Saturday’s talks could determine whether the crisis returns to the negotiating table or escalates once again into military confrontation across one of the world’s most strategically vital regions. SK hynix Targets $26.5bn in Landmark Nasdaq Listing | Maya
