Pakistan stepped up diplomacy on Thursday to hasten US and Iran ‌peace talks even as Tehran appeared to harden its stance over the nuclear issue amid new threats of strikes from US president Donald Trump if he didn’t get the “right answers”.Six weeks since a fragile ceasefire took effect, talks to end the war ​have made little progress, while soaring oil prices are stoking inflation and straining the global economy.Trump also faces domestic pressure in advance of November’s midterm elections, with his approval rating near its lowest since he returned to the White House due to the fuel price surge.Pakistan’s armychief Asim Munir was due to decide on Thursday whether to travel to Tehran for mediation, three sources familiar with the negotiations told Reuters.They sought anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to media. Pakistan’s interior minister was ​in Tehran on Wednesday.“We’re speaking to all the various groups in Iran to streamline communication and so things pick up pace,” said one of the sources.“Trump’s patience running thin is a concern, but we’re working on the pace at which messages are relayed ⁠from each side.” Iran’s ISNA news agency said Munir would travel to Tehran on Thursday for consultations. The text being discussed in Tehran is on the general framework, and some details and confidence-building ‌measures ‌as ​guarantees, the agency said.A woman holds a picture of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei during a gathering in support of the Iranian government against the US and Israel, on a street in Tehran, on May 20th. Photograph: Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA However, Iran appeared to have hardened its stance over a key USdemand for the removal of enriched uranium from the country.Two senior Iranian sources told Reuters that supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has issued a directive that Iran’s near weapons-grade uranium should not be sent abroad, the sources said.Brent ⁠crude oil climbed after Mojtaba’s remarks on Thursday, gaining almost 2 per cent to $107 a barrel.Trump said on Wednesday he was willing to wait ​for Tehran’s response but was also ready to resume strikes.“Believe me, if we don’t get the right answers, it goes very quickly. We’re all ready to go,” Trump told reporters.Asked how long he would wait, ‌Trump said: “It could be a few days, but it could go very ​quickly.”Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have warned against renewed attacks. “If aggression against Iran is repeated, the promised regional war will extend beyond the region this time,” it said in a statement. Iran submitted its latest offer ⁠to the US this week.Tehran’s descriptions suggest it largely repeats terms Trump previously ⁠rejected, including demands for control of the Strait of ​Hormuz, compensation for war damage, lifting of sanctions, release of frozen assets and the withdrawal of US troops.Iran’s deputy foreign minister on Thursday restated Tehran’s claims to sovereignty over the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas flows, saying aggression from the US, Israel and some regional states had fundamentally altered the security environment in the waterway.In a legal commentary, Kazem Gharibabadi said Iran could adopt “practical and proportionate measures” to protect its security and maritime safety, citing international law.[ Far-right Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich may turn ICC threat to political advantageOpens in new window ]With the strait now effectively closed for almost three months, increasing shortages are pushing up energy prices across the globe in what the International Energy Agency (IEA) has called the world’s worst energy shock.The IEA warned on Thursday that the peak of summer fuel demand coupled with a lack of new Middle East supply means the market could enter the “red zone” in July and August.Some ships are ‌managing to pass through the strait, but only a trickle ⁠compared with the 125-140 daily passages before the war.Iran’s state TV reporter said on Thursday that about 30 vessels have requested to cross since Wednesday night. These vessels are co-ordinating with Iranian naval forces to pass and “will most probably do so by tonight”, the reporter added.Iran said it aimed to reopen the strait to friendly countries ‌that abide by its terms. That could potentially include fees for access, which Washington says would be unacceptable.Trump and Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu said their war aims were to curb Iran’s support for regional militias, dismantle its nuclear programme, destroy ​its missile capabilities and make it easier for Iranians to topple their rulers.But Iran has so far retained its stockpile of near weapons-grade enriched uranium, ​and its ability to threaten neighbours with missiles, drones and proxy militias. It has already restarted some drone production during the ceasefire, CNN said on Thursday, citing two sources familiar with US intelligence assessments. – Reuters