Live updates: Iran’s slain leader buried after days of strikes rock Middle East - CNN

Senior US officials said Washington expects Tehran to issue a public statement in the coming days that the Strait of Hormuz is open and commercial vessels attempting to transit the waterway won’t be attacked.

Without safe passage assured in the strait — which has seen traffic once again severely depressed — then the two sides will “never” move on to negotiations on nuclear weapons, a senior US official said.

The officials declined to specify the consequences for Iran if it does not issue such a public declaration. But in broad terms, they warned the US could take further action.

The strait — which runs between Iran and Oman, with their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) meeting in the middle — has emerged as the key stumbling block to the ceasefire, as Iran continues to assert control over parts of the waterway and went on to fire ships earlier this week. In response, the US launched days of military strikes on Iranian targets.

Here’s what else to know:

More Strait of Hormuz updates: Following the Iranian attacks on commercial ships in the strait, the Trump administration on Friday imposed fresh sanctions on Tehran. As traffic in the strait remains muted, at least 15 commercial vessels transited the waterway in the past 24 hours, according to MarineTraffic data.

Iran “distrustful” of US: The country’s top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said Friday that they remain “distrustful of the Americans,” adding that, “during the negotiations, I made it clear to the US vice president that we have no trust in you.” Ghalibaf reiterated that Iran will continue to defend itself.

On an Iran deal: Any final deal with Iran must include the US obtaining Iran’s enriched uranium, a senior US official insisted Friday, telling reporters: “If we don’t get the dust, we do not have a deal with Iran.”

Travels to Oman: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to travel to Oman on Saturday to discuss the Strait of Hormuz and broader regional developments, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. Ghalibaf has said Tehran is prepared for “all-out defense” if the US breaks the Memorandum of Understanding signed last month.

Official talks: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan about “the importance of close coordination to promote regional security and stability,” according to a readout from the US State Department. Their call comes a day after Rubio met with the Saudi ambassador to the US, and as regional countries try to stop recent US-Iran tensions from escalating.

More talks: Also on Friday, Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia had a phone call with US President Donald Trump, where the two leaders “reviewed cooperation between the Kingdom and the United States and ways to strengthen it in several areas,” according to a readout of the call.

CNN’s Jennifer Hansler, Eyad Kourdi, Lauren Kent, Kevin Liptak, Kit Maher and Aida Karimi contributed reporting.

This post was updated with more information.