Washington, United States. The United States and Iran maintained opposing positions on Tehran’s uranium stockpile and potential controls on the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, though U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio cited “some good signs” in talks.
Trump comments on uranium stockpile
U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States would eventually recover Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which Washington believes is destined for a nuclear weapon, while Tehran says it is intended purely for peaceful purposes.
“We will get it. We don’t need it, we don’t want it. We’ll probably destroy it after we get it, but we’re not going to let them have it,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
Rubio on Strait of Hormuz and diplomacy
Rubio said a diplomatic solution would be unfeasible if Tehran implemented a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz, while adding that there had been some progress in talks.
“There’s some good signs,” Rubio said. “I don’t want to be overly optimistic … So, let’s see what happens over the next few days.”
Iranian sources on directive
Two senior Iranian sources told Reuters before Trump’s comments that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei had issued a directive that the uranium should not be sent abroad.
Strait of Hormuz and market reaction
Trump criticized Tehran’s intentions to charge fees for use of the Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas transited before the war.
“We want it open, we want it free. We don’t want tolls,” he said. “It’s an international waterway.”
Oil prices moved lower in volatile trading on Thursday amid uncertain prospects for a resolution of the war.
Trump on potential resumption of strikes
Trump said he is ready to resume strikes on Iran, which the United States and ally Israel first launched in late February, if he does not get the “right answers” from Iran’s leadership.
What do you think the next few days of talks will mean for the dispute over Iran’s uranium stockpile and the Strait of Hormuz?
