The Strait of Hormuz.Image: www.imago-images.de
According to media reports, the USA is demanding that Iran commit to free and safe shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. A nuclear deal is also considered increasingly unlikely. The latest developments in the Middle East.
July 11, 2026, 6:18 amJuly 11, 2026, 07:10
USA issues ultimatum
The Iranian leadership should publicly assure that the strait is open and that Iran will refrain from attacks on merchant ships, wrote the portal, among others “Axios” and that “Wall Street Journal” citing U.S. government officials. One of the officials indicated that there would be serious consequences if such a commitment was not made by this Saturday. It remained unclear what consequences were meant and whether there was actually a specific deadline.
The demand was brought to Iran directly and through intermediaries, it said. The USA had attacked targets in Iran in recent days, justifying this with attacks on merchant ships in the strait, which is important for the global trade in oil, gas and fertilizer. US President Donald Trump confirmed on Friday the end of the ceasefire in the war with Iran. At the same time, he left the door open for discussions. Tehran asked for talks to continue and the USA agreed, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. He put the word conversations in quotation marks.
Tehran denies requests for negotiations
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Ismail Baghai rejected claims that Tehran had sought negotiations with the United States, according to pro-government broadcaster Press TV. However, a request from a regional mediator to visit Tehran and discuss the current situation was fulfilled. According to information from Axios, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to discuss the Strait of Hormuz dispute with his counterpart there today in Oman’s capital Muscat.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Ismail Baghai.Image: www.imago-images.de
Recently, the conflict over the important strait escalated again after the warring parties Iran and the USA actually agreed on June 17th to a framework agreement for in-depth talks on an end to the war. It was agreed to negotiate a final deal within 60 days. There was also a ceasefire in effect since the beginning of April, but it was repeatedly broken and Trump has now declared it to be over.
USA considers nuclear deal increasingly unlikely
In addition to the Strait of Hormuz, the points of contention include Iran’s nuclear program. The US government now considers a nuclear deal with Iran increasingly unlikely, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing senior US officials.
Their comments to reporters were a rare admission that one of Trump’s key foreign policy goals – curbing Iran’s nuclear program – may not be achieved through peace talks, they said.
Researchers suspect repairs to a military research facility in Iran
According to researchers, satellite images suggest that Iran is rebuilding a military research facility. Corresponding activities have been seen at the military complex in Partschin in recent weeks, as reported by the Institute for Science and International Security, which specializes in nuclear issues.
According to the researchers, the facility was hit several times at the beginning of the war. After satellite images initially showed clean-up work, there has been increasing evidence of permanent repairs in recent weeks. This includes several concrete mixers and other devices to permanently seal the impact holes.
The so-called Taleghan complex has repeatedly led to speculation in the past. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran’s Amad program worked there until 2003 on technologies that could be relevant to nuclear weapons. Tests are said to have taken place with powerful explosives to simulate the implosion of a nuclear warhead. Iran denies the existence of the program.
The satellite images were provided by the broadcaster CNNwho also analyzed it himself in collaboration with the institute. However, there is no suspicious activity at Isfahan, the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) assessment, the most important uranium deposit, CNN reported. The same applies to Natanz and Fordo. The three facilities had already been bombed by the USA in the summer of last year.
US President Trump has repeatedly emphasized that his government has been monitoring the sites meticulously since then. In the framework agreement, Tehran committed itself to maintaining the “status quo” in its nuclear program. Iran also committed itself to refraining from developing nuclear weapons.
If Iran does not abide by the framework agreement that gave Tehran financial benefits in return for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, there is little hope of concluding a far more complex agreement to eliminate Iran’s nuclear materials and impose long-term caps on Iran’s nuclear program, the Wall Street Journal quoted senior US officials as saying.
The Strait of Hormuz has turned out to be Iran’s strongest economic and military means of pressure in the conflict. The US military recently bombed targets in Iran several times in response to attacks against tankers. The USA also reinstated sanctions on Iranian oil. Iran, for its part, responded with attacks. Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, which host important US military bases, also came under fire.
What does Trump do next?
The information from US officials about Iran’s commitment to free and safe shipping in the strait as well as doubts about a nuclear deal would raise the question of whether Trump is preparing for another major change in strategy, wrote the Wall Street Journal.
US President Donald Trump.Image: keystone
His options include resuming the war on a comprehensive scale to try to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, it said. But he could also make a deal that falls short of his demands – or withdraw from the conflict entirely, even if this would jeopardize control of the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran insists that the framework agreement states that sole responsibility for managing the important strait lies with Iran. (sda/dpa)