Iran tells US ‘errant’ forces attacked ships in Strait of Hormuz, official says

The United States is demanding that Iran publicly commit to ending attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, guarantee that all shipping lanes remain open and abandon any effort to charge vessels for passage, senior U.S. officials said Friday. The demand comes as Washington imposed a new round of sanctions targeting a financier allegedly linked to Iran’s new leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, and a network of exchange houses and front companies accused of moving billions of dollars for sanctioned Iranian banks and the country’s ruling elite. Iran has refused to relinquish control over the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply normally passes. U.S. officials nevertheless said recent contacts between Washington and Tehran had been productive.