US gives Iran Saturday deadline to renounce Hormuz attacks as military exchanges enter second day

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - The Trump administration has given Iran a Saturday deadline to publicly acknowledge that the Strait of Hormuz is open to commercial traffic and commit to halting attacks on ships, three US officials said in a briefing with reporters on Friday, even as both countries continued trading military strikes for a second consecutive day and Iran expanded the battlefield by firing ballistic missiles at a US military base in Jordan.

As Axios reported on Friday, the message has been conveyed to Tehran both directly and through regional mediators. The deadline represents Washington's attempt to create a public accountability mechanism after what US officials described as Iran's repeated violations of the memorandum of understanding signed by both presidents on June 17, 2026.

Trump Declares Ceasefire "Over," Then Signals Diplomacy

The crisis escalated sharply on Wednesday, when President Trump declared the ceasefire "over" following Iran's attacks on three commercial vessels in the strait on July 6 and 7, and after CENTCOM struck approximately 80 Iranian military targets on July 7, including more than 60 boats belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy. As Al Jazeera confirmed on Wednesday, a second night of US strikes followed, aimed at further degrading Iran's ability to attack commercial shipping and civilian mariners in the waterway.

On Thursday, CENTCOM confirmed an additional round of strikes, continuing the degradation campaign against Iranian maritime attack capabilities. However, Trump subsequently signaled openness to returning to diplomacy, telling reporters that the exchange of fire would not lead to long-term military action, a notable softening from his declaration that the ceasefire was finished.

Iran Fires on US Base in Jordan

Iran dramatically widened the geographic scope of the confrontation on Thursday. The IRGC said its forces struck what it described as a US command-and-control center and the air base at Al-Azraq in Jordan with 10 ballistic missiles. Jordan's military said it intercepted eight of the missiles. The Al-Azraq area hosts a Jordanian air base used by US, German, Belgian, and French forces, originally established as part of the campaign against ISIS. As RFE/RL reported on Friday, Iran's expansion of the conflict to Jordanian territory marks a significant geographic escalation beyond the Hormuz theatre.

"They Told Us: We Screwed Up"

Behind the public confrontation, a different conversation was underway. A US official told Axios on Friday that after two days of military skirmishes, Iran reached out to the administration and sought further talks to resolve the dispute. "They told us, 'We screwed up. We made a mistake. Let's keep talking,'" the official said. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei denied on Friday that Iran had requested negotiations with the United States, saying Iran only agreed to a request by Qatari mediators to discuss the matter.

Baghaei also pushed back against the American framing of Iranian culpability, stating: "Iran accepted a clear responsibility regarding the establishment of normal arrangements and maritime services related to ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, and we have been very determined and resolute in fulfilling that responsibility."

Araghchi Heads to Muscat

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi are expected to meet Saturday in Muscat, with Iran's Foreign Ministry confirming the visit will focus on the Strait of Hormuz and maritime security. Araghchi also held separate calls with his Omani and Turkish counterparts on Friday to discuss the latest developments, according to Iran's Foreign Ministry.

Oman has served as a consistent back-channel between Washington and Tehran throughout the conflict. The Muscat meeting represents the most concrete diplomatic opening available ahead of Saturday's US deadline. It could provide a face-saving mechanism for Iran to issue the public statement Washington is demanding without framing it as a capitulation.

Nuclear Deal Progress, But Doubts Deepen

Despite the military turbulence, one US official told Axios on Friday that Washington and Tehran have made meaningful progress toward a nuclear deal during three weeks of direct and indirect negotiations. "We are talking to people with authority there who say they want a deal," the official said.

However, the same officials acknowledged that the Hormuz crisis has raised fundamental questions about whether Iran will ever commit to a nuclear agreement or whether it would honor such a commitment if reached. As Washington Institute for Near East Policy senior fellow Noam Raydan told RFE/RL on Friday, the MOU was fatally ambiguous on the future management of the strait from the outset. "Tehran wants to play a central role in drafting the future management of the Strait of Hormuz," Raydan said, while regional countries, the international shipping community, and Washington all have their own competing reservations about any Iranian management role.

Iran's chief negotiator, Ghalibaf, sharpened Tehran's public position on Friday, writing on X: "America still hasn't learned that bullying and breaking promises are no longer cost-free. Let me put it plainly: if you strike, you'll get hit." He added that the Strait of Hormuz would only remain open under Iranian arrangements, not under "American threats."

Qatari Mediators Eye Post-Funeral Window

Qatari mediators indicated last week that talks could resume shortly after the funeral procession for Iran's Supreme Leader concludes, after July 10, 2026. Whether Saturday's deadline, the Muscat talks between Araghchi and his Omani counterpart, and the post-funeral diplomatic window can combine to produce a stabilizing public statement from Tehran before the situation deteriorates further is the central question facing the region as the week draws to a close.