US presses Iran for public pledge to keep Hormuz shipping open
US officials said Washington wants Iran to promise safe passage in the Strait of Hormuz as nuclear-related talks continue.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
The United States is demanding that Iran publicly commit to keeping the Strait of Hormuz open to commercial shipping, according to US officials cited by Al Jazeera. The demand raises the stakes around one of the world’s key maritime chokepoints as Washington says talks with Tehran are still under way.
Al Jazeera correspondent Kimberly Halkett, reporting from Washington, said a US official described several conditions for any future agreement with Iran. The official said Washington’s nuclear-limit demands must be met and that nuclear material sought by the US must be delivered, otherwise there would be no deal.
The same official told Al Jazeera that diplomacy is continuing and described the talks as productive. No details were provided on where the discussions are taking place or who is participating.
According to Halkett, Iran has given the United States an explanation for why a memorandum of understanding was broken and why ships were recently fired on in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials apparently told Washington the incidents were caused by an errant part in their system, she reported.
The US official rejected that explanation, according to Al Jazeera. Washington is now demanding that Iran issue a public statement saying vessels will no longer be fired on and that all channels in the Strait of Hormuz will remain open.
The official warned that “there will not be a good outcome for Iran” if the waterway is not kept open, Al Jazeera reported.
Sanctions and reciprocal warnings
US officials said Washington wants the statement issued today and wants it to include a pledge of safe passage and an end to attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Al Jazeera’s recap of developments.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said any US breach of commitments under the memorandum of understanding would be met with reciprocal action, Al Jazeera reported. The ministry’s statement was not detailed further in the update.
The United States has imposed new Iran-related sanctions following what Al Jazeera described as Iran’s resumption of attacks on international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The update did not identify the sanctioned individuals or entities.
Other regional developments
Al Jazeera also reported several developments tied to Israel’s military activity in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and Lebanon.
Two staff members at Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza were injured when an Israeli quadcopter drone dropped an explosive device on the hospital’s grounds, according to Al Jazeera.
In the occupied West Bank, Israeli demolitions have displaced more than 3,200 Palestinians this year, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said, according to Al Jazeera. OCHA said the figure averages 17 people per day.
Al Jazeera also reported that Israel’s government ordered the military to avoid carrying out “sensitive operations” in southern Lebanon after pressure from the United States.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.