The United States wants a public pledge from Iran to keep the Strait of Hormuz open and to stop attacks on commercial ships passing through it, US media reported. Washington intends to put the issue on the table at talks between the two sides that are due to begin on Saturday.
Citing officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, US media reported that Tehran had privately admitted to advisers of President Donald Trump that firing on a ship had been a mistake, but had blamed an uncontrolled group within Iran for the incident.
Trump said both sides had agreed to continue talks despite this week’s clashes over the Strait of Hormuz, though the White House regarded the incident as a violation of the ceasefire. In June, the United States and Iran signed a ceasefire under which Iran was to allow commercial ships safe passage.
Senior US officials told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, that Tehran had said a rogue hardliner group had fired on a commercial ship in an attempt to derail the talks. “They [the Iranians] came back to the talks and said, we made a mistake. We made a mistake. Let’s continue the talks,” one US official told the network.
At a briefing for reporters on Friday, US officials said a message had been conveyed to Tehran’s leadership through regional mediators, asking Iran to issue a statement that the strait remained open and to announce a halt to firing on commercial ships, several outlets reported. Reuters quoted one official as saying: “They will either give us that statement, or things won’t go well for them.”
CBS reported that the White House also wants Iran to publicly acknowledge that firing on shipping had been a mistake. US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and two figures who have played key roles in Middle East negotiations – special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner – are expected to lead the talks, which are due to begin in Oman on Saturday.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report