The United States and Iran maintained deeply conflicting positions on Thursday regarding Tehran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile and proposed controls over the Strait of Hormuz, even as U.S. officials noted minor breakthroughs in ongoing diplomatic talks.
U.S. President Donald Trump asserted that Washington intends to seize and dismantle Iran’s enriched uranium. While Tehran maintains its nuclear program is strictly for peaceful purposes, the U.S. and its allies firmly believe the material is earmarked for atomic weapons.
”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.
The geopolitical friction caused oil prices to whipsaw in a highly volatile trading session on Thursday, reflecting market anxiety over the uncertain prospects of resolving the conflict.
Compounding the nuclear standoff, Trump heavily criticized Tehran’s proposal to levy fees on commercial vessels navigating the Strait of Hormuz—a vital maritime chokepoint that handled a fifth of the world’s global oil and natural gas supply prior to the outbreak of the war.
”We want it open, we want it free. We don’t want tolls. It’s an international waterway,” Trump said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed these concerns, warning reporters that a diplomatic resolution would be impossible if Tehran enforces a tolling system in the strait.
However, Rubio conceded that negotiators had made incremental headways.
”There’s some good signs. I don’t want to be overly optimistic … So, let’s see what happens over the next few days,” Rubio stated.
A senior Iranian source confirmed to Reuters that while a comprehensive deal remains out of reach, the diplomatic gaps are narrowing. However, uranium enrichment and maritime jurisdiction over the strategic waterway remain major sticking points.
According to two senior Iranian sources speaking prior to Trump’s press briefing, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has already issued a strict directive banning the transfer of the nation’s uranium stockpile abroad.
The diplomatic impasse comes amid threats of renewed military action. President Trump reiterated his readiness to resume airstrikes against Iran—originally launched by U.S. and Israeli forces in late February—should diplomatic channels fail to yield the “right answers” from Tehran’s leadership.
In response, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have issued stern warnings, vowing that any renewed Western aggression will trigger retaliatory strikes extending far beyond the Middle East.