U.S. Officials Expect Iran to Announce Open Shipping Through Strait of Hormuz

U.S. officials told reporters on Friday that Iran is expected to issue a public statement within days confirming that all navigation channels in the Strait of Hormuz are open and that Iranian forces will cease shooting at ships transiting the waterway. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, warned that failure to follow through could lead to an unfavorable outcome for Iran.

According to the officials, Iranian negotiators have attributed recent drone attacks on vessels to rogue elements of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, describing the actions as attempts to undermine the nuclear accord reached last month. The United States said it will continue negotiations on a permanent nuclear deal and will respond militarily to any further attacks on shipping.

President Trump posted on his social platform that negotiations will proceed, but he also declared the cease-fire between the United States and Iran to be over. One senior official said a final nuclear agreement will not be possible unless Iran hands over what was described as "nuclear dust" – near-weapon-grade uranium stored at the Isfahan enrichment and conversion facility – for dilution to render it unusable for weapons. Iranian authorities have said the material cannot leave their territory, and it remains unclear whether the retrieval and dilution would be carried out by Iran, the United States, or jointly with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The officials did not specify any additional talks on the broader deal, noting that a final agreement would need to be reached by mid-August to meet the 60-day deadline set in the June framework.