Senior U.S. officials briefed overnight that Washington is demanding Iran declare by today that the Strait of Hormuz remains open to traffic and cease attacks, or face 'severe consequences.' The officials also said pessimism is growing within the administration over the prospects of reaching a nuclear deal with the Iranian regime, according to a single report.
Senior U.S. officials briefed overnight that Washington is demanding Iran declare by today that the Strait of Hormuz remains open to traffic and cease attacks, or face 'severe consequences,' according to a single report. The officials also said pessimism is growing within the administration over the prospects of reaching a nuclear deal with the Iranian regime.
The ultimatum is the latest in a series of U.S. demands to Tehran over the strategic waterway. At 00:12 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported that the U.S. had given Iran 24 hours to publicly commit to ending Hormuz attacks. At 04:21, the demand was refined to a public declaration reopening the strait. By 07:38, the U.S. had escalated to a same-day deadline with a threat of 'severe consequences.'
The growing pessimism on the nuclear track marks a shift from earlier reports of a tentative U.S.–Iran agreement on a nuclear freeze and sanctions relief, as The Zioneer reported on June 14. That deal was never finalized, and subsequent weeks saw Iran issue new threats over Hormuz.
It remains unclear whether Iran will respond to the latest ultimatum, and whether the nuclear talks are effectively dead.
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