The United States is close to reaching a deal with Iran that would end the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and see Iran give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, with the details and timelines to be worked out later, regional officials told The Associated Press on Sunday.
Iran has not publicly committed to giving up its uranium — a key demand of U.S. President Donald Trump — and the sides have seemed close to a deal at different points in recent weeks without clinching one.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on a visit to India, said Sunday that “significant progress, although not final progress, has been made” in the negotiations, and that the world would no longer need to fear Iran getting a nuclear weapon, without elaborating.
Iran’s embassy in India responded to Rubio on social media, saying Tehran has an “inalienable” right to nuclear technology. Iran has always insisted its program is peaceful.
The reopening of the strait would begin to address a worldwide energy crisis sparked by the surprise U.S. and Israeli bombardment of Iran on Feb. 28, which led Tehran to effectively close the crucial waterway. Its closure has caused a spike in the price of oil, gas, and several downstream products, jolting the world economy.
