Overview
- U.S. officials said Friday they have told Tehran to publicly state that all channels of the Strait of Hormuz are open and that Iran will stop attacking commercial ships, with the demand tied to a scheduled meeting in Muscat on Saturday.
- President Donald Trump declared the interim ceasefire "OVER" on Friday but directed negotiators to continue talks, while Washington also revoked an oil sales waiver and announced new sanctions targeting Iranian financial networks.
- Shipping through the strait has plunged this week, with S&P Global reporting a two‑week low in transits and trackers showing routes near Oman's coast carrying most of the limited traffic.
- U.S. officials say the recent ship attacks came from a rogue hard‑line faction inside Iran and that Iranian envoys privately admitted mistakes, but Tehran publicly insists control of the strait rests with Iran and has rejected external interference.
- Regional mediators from Oman, Qatar and Pakistan are scrambling to salvage talks in Muscat, and U.S. officials warn failure to secure a public Iranian renunciation of attacks could trigger further economic or military measures and end the negotiation window.