US wants Iran to pledge to stop shooting at ships in Strait of Hormuz

The US wants Iran to publicly state that the Strait of Hormuz is open and to pledge to stop firing on commercial ships.

This came after incidents earlier this week in which three commercial tankers were attacked, prompting an exchange of strikes with the US. According to US media, Iran told American officials the shootings were a mistake and blamed a rogue internal group.

US President Donald Trump has said the Iranian attacks mean the ceasefire is over, but that talks aimed at ending the war would continue. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has accused the US of violating the deal.

The war began with US and Israeli attacks on 28 February, prompting Iran to attack Israel and US targets and allies in the Gulf.

In June, the US and Iran signed a ceasefire agreement where Iran would, in part, give safe passage to commercial ships.

Tehran privately acknowledged to Trump's advisers that the recent shooting at ships was a mistake, and that an "errant" sect of hardliners was trying to undermine negotiations, senior US officials told CBS News, the BBC's US partner.

One official told the TV network: "They [the Iranians] came back to the table and said, 'We screwed up. We made a mistake. Let's keep talking.'"

Vice-President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as well as special US envoys Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, are expected to arrive in Oman later on Saturday.

Araghchi is also in the Gulf Arab state for talks with Omani officials.

During previous negotiations, the US and Iran have held indirect talks with Pakistani or Qatari mediators.

In a briefing for reporters on Friday, the US officials said a message to Tehran's leadership had been conveyed through regional mediators demanding Iran release a statement declaring the Strait of Hormuz open and pledging to stop shooting at commercial ships, according to multiple media reports.

"They're either going to give us that statement or we're not having a good outcome for them," said one official, quoted by Reuters news agency.

The White House also wants Iran to publicly acknowledge that firing on the shipping was a mistake, CBS reports.

Meanwhile, a delegation from Qatar travelled to Iran on Friday for talks aimed at defusing tensions and easing navigation through the Strait of Hormuz - the vital waterway where some 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passes.

Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social earlier on Friday: "The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to continue 'talks.'

"We have agreed to do so, but the United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the Cease Fire is OVER!"

In the early hours of Saturday, Trump also responded to reports that Iran had plans to assassinate him.

The US would "completely decimate and destroy all areas" of the country in retaliation to such an attack, he said.

The Wall Street Journal and other US media reported this week that Israel had shared intelligence with Washington that Iran had recently devised a plan to assassinate the US president.

However, Trump denied that Tehran had made a fresh plan or that Israel was the source of any intelligence. He told the New York Post in an interview that he had been "No. 1 [on Iran's kill list] for a long time".

There were also open calls for Trump's death at the funeral of Iran's late Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli strike on his residence in Tehran on 28 February.

On Saturday, his son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, released a written message that said vengeance for his father's killing was "inevitable".

The "matter depends neither on my personal existence nor on that of other officials. Whether we are present or not, it will come to pass," Khamenei said.

Three ships were struck while using a US-recommended route through Omani waters early this week in the worst exchange of fire between the US and Iran since the two nations signed an interim deal in June. Iran has repeatedly said the only "safe" passage is a separate route through its waters.

In accordance with the US-Iran memorandum of understanding, Iran and Oman must hold talks "to define the future administration and maritime services" in the strait with other Gulf states.

Iran has suggested ships would need to pay to pass through Hormuz - with the US saying navigation through the waterway must remain free.