The US wants Iran to publicly declare that the Strait of Hormuz is open and promise to stop attacks on merchant ships.

The United States (US) wants Iran to publicly announce that the Strait of Hormuz is open and to promise to stop attacks on merchant ships, the British media outlet BBC reported today.

The request follows incidents earlier this week when three commercial tankers were attacked, leading to an exchange of blows with the US. According to US media, Iran told US officials that the attacks were a mistake and blamed them on a rogue group within the system.

US President Donald Trump said the Iranian attacks meant the ceasefire was over, but that talks aimed at ending the war would continue. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi accused the US of violating the agreement.

The war began with US and Israeli attacks on February 28, after which Iran attacked Israel, US targets, and US allies in the Gulf.

The US and Iran signed a ceasefire agreement in June, in which Iran, among other things, pledged to allow safe passage for merchant ships.

Tehran has admitted in private talks with Trump's advisers that the recent attacks on the ships were a mistake and that a "rogue" faction of hardliners was trying to undermine the talks, senior US officials told CBS News, the BBC's US partner.

One official told the television network: "They (the Iranians) came back to the negotiating table and said, 'We messed up. We made a mistake. Let's continue the talks.'"

The incident prompted a series of US strikes on about 90 targets across Iran. Iran's Health Ministry said on Monday that 17 people were killed and 115 wounded in the attacks. Iran responded with strikes on US allies in the Gulf.

At a press briefing on Friday, US officials said a message had been conveyed to the Iranian leadership through regional intermediaries demanding that Tehran issue a statement declaring the Strait of Hormuz open and promising to stop attacks on merchant ships, according to multiple media outlets.

"Either they give us such a statement or the outcome for them will not be good," one official said, according to Reuters.

The White House also wants Iran to publicly admit that opening fire on the ships was a mistake, CBS reported.

Meanwhile, a Qatari delegation traveled to Iran on Friday for talks aimed at easing tensions and easing shipping through the Strait of Hormuz - a key waterway through which about 20 percent of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passes.

Trump wrote earlier on Friday on the Truth Social platform: "The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to continue 'talks'. We have agreed, but the United States of America has told them in no uncertain terms that the ceasefire is OVER!"

It is unclear when the talks will take place. The negotiations are expected to be overseen on behalf of the United States by Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as well as special US envoys Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

According to Iranian media, Araqchi is in Oman, where he is talking to Omani officials.

A US official said that US technical teams will not be present in Oman, but will be in contact with the Omani and Qatari sides as the situation develops.

In the early hours of Saturday morning, Trump also responded to reports that Iran was planning to assassinate him.

He said that in response to such an attack, the US would "completely level and destroy all areas" of that country.

The Wall Street Journal and other US media outlets 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 new plan, nor that Israel was the source of any intelligence. In an interview with the New York Post, he said that he had long been "number one on Iran's hit list."

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

His son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, issued a written message today in which he stated that revenge for his father's assassination was "inevitable."

"It does not depend on my personal existence or the presence of other officials. Whether I am present or not, it will happen," Khamenei said.

Three ships were hit earlier this week while using a U.S.-recommended route through Omani waters, in the heaviest exchange of fire between the U.S. and Iran since the two countries signed an interim agreement in June. Iran has repeatedly said the only "safe" passage is through its territorial waters through another route.

According to a memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran, Iran and Oman must hold talks with other Gulf states to "define future governance and maritime services" in the strait.

Iran has suggested that ships would have to pay to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, while the US insists that navigation through the waterway must remain free.