US Demands Iran Publicly Declare the Strait of Hormuz Open to Shipping

Senior US administration officials said Friday, July 10, 2026, that Washington has demanded Iran publicly confirm that all channels of the Strait of Hormuz are open to shipping and that it will stop attacking transiting vessels. Officials, speaking anonymously, said technical talks between Washington and Tehran continue despite the latest flare-up. The demand follows two days of US and Iranian strikes that officials say have sharply curtailed commercial tanker traffic through Hormuz. Confirmation or denial of the strait's formal reopening would directly affect global oil prices and shipping insurance costs, which in turn feed through to Iran's rial exchange rate and gold prices.