The United States demanded Iran issue a public statement by Saturday committing to keep the Strait of Hormuz open and to stop attacks on commercial vessels, according to three senior US officials who briefed reporters on Friday. A senior US official added that after two days of clashes earlier this week, Tehran approached Washington requesting further talks, and that an internal power struggle is underway in the Iranian regime over the implementation of a memorandum of understanding with the Trump administration.
Late Friday night, three senior US officials briefed reporters, revealing that Washington had demanded Iran issue a public statement by Saturday committing to keep the Strait of Hormuz open and to cease attacks on commercial vessels. According to the officials, Iran subsequently requested further talks. One senior US official added that an internal power struggle is underway in Tehran over the implementation of a memorandum of understanding with the Trump administration, characterizing the regime's next steps.
The Zioneer first reported the development at 00:11 Jerusalem on Saturday, initially citing three senior US officials who said the US had issued a 24-hour ultimatum and that Iran had blamed 'rogue elements' for the recent tanker strikes. The report was then corroborated by additional sources, including NBC (v2) and Israel Hayom (v4), with further details emerging from the same officials: the demand was for a public statement by Saturday (v5), and that Iran had requested additional talks amid internal divisions (v6). The evolution of the story shows a progression from a single-channel report to multi-source confirmation, with the internal power struggle cited as a key factor.
The standoff comes against a backdrop of heightened military activity in the region. The Zioneer reported on June 26 that the US military was actively striking Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz, and on June 8 that President Trump had placed the US military on alert and urged Iran to return to negotiations. Separately, on June 28, an Iranian official demanded non-interference in the strait and warned of complications if the memorandum of understanding was not implemented under Iranian management.
The deadline for the public statement expires Saturday. It remains unclear whether Iran will issue the statement, and whether the internal power struggle in Tehran will delay or alter the regime's response. The claim that 'rogue elements' were responsible for the tanker strikes has not been independently verified.
8 developments
- StrongIran issues new direct threat to US over Strait of Hormuz, warns of 'immediate' retaliation
- DevelopingIran's army spokesperson to brief media after reported clashes with US in the Strait of Hormuz
- StrongIran used short-range missiles in Strait of Hormuz tanker attacks, US official says
- DevelopingIran claims it attacked enemy forces near Strait of Hormuz
Source and signal
- Internal intake