Trump says Iran must give up uranium as talks continue
The United States and Iran have remained committed to directly opposing stances over the Middle Eastern country’s uranium stockpile and control over the Strait of Hormuz, offering little hope for Pakistan-led efforts to end the conflict.
President Donald Trump said the United States will eventually take back Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
“We’ll take 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 take it,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
However, before Trump’s comments, two senior Iranian sources told Reuters that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei issued an order not to send uranium abroad.
Trump also opposed Iran’s intention to charge for use off its coast of the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas passed before the war.
“We want it open, we want it free. We don’t want tolls,” he said.
“This is an international waterway.”
Six weeks after a fragile ceasefire came into force, talks to end the war have made little progress, three sources told Reuters, but Pakistani Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, one of the main mediators, is likely to travel to Tehran for new talks on Thursday, three sources told Reuters.
“We are talking to various groups in Iran to facilitate communication and thus speed things up,” said one of the sources familiar with the negotiations.
“It’s concerning that Trump is running out of patience, but we’re working on the speed at which messages can be delivered from both sides.”
The stalemate is damaging the global economy, especially due to the inflationary impact of rising oil prices.
Oil prices rose on Thursday: U.S. crude rose 3.22 percent to $101.42 per barrel, and Brent rose 2.54 percent to $107.71 per barrel on the day.
Trump has said he is ready to resume attacks on Iran, which the United States and its ally Israel first launched in late February, if he cannot get “correct answers” from Iran’s leadership.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned that this would trigger retaliation beyond its territory.
This week, Iran presented its final offer to the United States.
Iran’s statements largely show it repeating terms that Trump had previously rejected, including demands for control of the Strait of Hormuz, compensation for war damage, the lifting of sanctions, the release of frozen assets and the withdrawal of US troops from the region.
The International Energy Agency says the conflict has created the world’s worst energy shock.
It warned on Thursday that summer peak fuel demand, combined with a lack of new supply in the Middle East, meant the market could enter the “red zone” in July and August.
Some ships manage to pass through the strait, but this is only a very small number compared to the 125-140 daily passages before the war.
Iran’s IRNA news agency said 31 ships passed in coordination with the Iranian navy in the last 24 hours.
Iran has said it aims to reopen the strait to friendly countries that comply with conditions that could potentially include fees.
“If they continue to pursue this, it makes a diplomatic agreement impossible. So for them to attempt to do this is a threat to the world and it is completely illegal,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
