The Trump administration has delivered what officials described as a final demand to Iran: issue a public statement by Saturday confirming that the Strait of Hormuz will remain open, stop firing on commercial vessels, and at least indirectly acknowledge fault. Axios reported that the message was sent to Tehran through direct channels and regional mediators, with US officials warning that refusal would trigger further action.
Washington says recent Iranian fire on merchant ships in and around the strait violated a memorandum of understanding signed three weeks ago. Those incidents led to several rounds of clashes and pushed an already fragile ceasefire close to collapse. Earlier this week, Trump said the ceasefire was “over.”
Muscat meeting on Saturday is now the focal point
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to meet Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi in Muscat on Saturday to discuss the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. Oman has long served as an intermediary between Washington and Tehran. The US wants Iran to release a public statement after the meeting, pledging to end attacks and confirming that every shipping lane in the strait remains open.
The report also said the US wants that statement to include a commitment to no transit fees. According to the source material, Iran had recently confirmed preferential treatment for countries such as China and said it would accept Bitcoin and USDT as payment for passage. The latest US demand would effectively require Tehran to scrap that arrangement.
Hormuz tensions matter for oil and risk markets
US officials said there had been some recent progress in nuclear talks with Iran, but the Hormuz crisis has raised doubts in Washington about whether Tehran can carry out more complicated agreements. One US official warned that if Iran does not adopt the requested position by Saturday, “it won’t be a good day for them.”
The Strait of Hormuz is the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to open waters, and roughly one-fifth of global seaborne oil passes through it. Any threat to shipping in the corridor can quickly affect oil prices and broader risk sentiment, making it a closely watched macro factor for global financial markets, including crypto.