US-Iran Talks: Key Issues Unresolved, Rubio Sees 'Good Signs'

The United States and Iran remained at odds today over Tehran's uranium stockpiles and control of the Strait of Hormuz, but US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there were "some good signs" in the negotiations. Reuters reported that US President Donald Trump said the US would eventually obtain Iran's highly enriched uranium stockpile. Washington believes these nuclear materials could be used to build nuclear weapons, while Tehran insists their use is purely for peaceful purposes. Trump told reporters at the White House, "We will definitely get our hands on it. We don't need it, and we don't want it. Once we get it, we'll probably destroy it, but we just won't let them have it." Rubio told reporters that if Tehran implemented a toll system in the Strait of Hormuz, it would make a diplomatic solution unfeasible. However, he also noted that some progress had been made in the current negotiations. Rubio said, "There are some good signs right now, but I don't want to be overly optimistic... so let's see how the next few days develop." A senior Iranian source told Reuters today that the two sides had not yet reached any agreement, but the differences had narrowed. He also said that Iran's uranium enrichment and Tehran's control over the Strait of Hormuz remain the main points of contention. Oil prices fluctuated wildly in highly volatile trading today due to uncertainty over whether the conflict could be resolved. Before Trump's remarks, two Iranian sources told Reuters that Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, had issued instructions not to send uranium stockpiles overseas. Trump also criticized Tehran's plan to impose tolls on the Strait of Hormuz. Before the war, the Strait of Hormuz carried one-fifth of the world's oil and gas shipments. He said, "We want the strait to remain open and free for navigation, without tolls. This is an international waterway."