U.S.-Iran negotiations hit three major sticking points: Strait of Hormuz control, handling 900 pounds of enriched uranium, and releasing $27 billion in frozen assets

Gate News message, on April 12, according to The New York Times, U.S.-Iran negotiations currently have three main sticking points: the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the issue of enriched uranium, and the unlocking of Iranian overseas assets.

Regarding the Strait of Hormuz, Iran refuses to accept the U.S. proposal for a “joint management” plan, insisting on retaining control over the Strait of Hormuz and saying it has the right to charge “tolls” to ships passing through. Iran said it will only consider arrangements related to opening the Strait after both sides reach a final peace agreement. The U.S. takes the opposite position. On April 10, U.S. President Donald Trump said the Strait of Hormuz is international waters, and that “with or without Iran’s cooperation,” the strait will be “opened soon,” and he will not allow Iran to collect tolls.

On the nuclear issue, the U.S. demands that Iran hand over its entire stockpile of enriched uranium that is close to weapons-grade. The stockpile weighs about 900 pounds. Iran submitted a counterproposal in response, but the two sides were unable to reach a compromise. In addition, the U.S. also requires Iran not only not to develop nuclear weapons now, but to make a long-term commitment not to acquire the relevant capabilities and technologies. The U.S. said it has “not yet seen” Iran’s clear intent.

On frozen assets, Iran demands that the U.S. compensate it for losses caused by the six-week airstrikes and unfreeze its roughly $27 billion in oil revenue located in Iraq, Luxembourg, Bahrain, Japan, Turkey, and Germany, to be used for postwar reconstruction. The U.S. rejected the above demands.