US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that the future of Iran\u2019s highly enriched uranium stockpiles remains the central issue in ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran, adding that no final peace agreement has yet been reached.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rubio said the United States continues to insist that Iran hand over its near-weapons-grade enriched uranium, limit its nuclear activities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz before any lasting peace arrangement can take effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rubio noted that the issue of Iran\u2019s uranium stockpile had been addressed in documents exchanged between the two sides. However, he stressed that Tehran had not yet provided final approval for any agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think now, in some of the papers that have been exchanged back and forth, it\u2019s clearly addressed, but we still don\u2019t have final sign off from their system as of this morning,\u201d Rubio told lawmakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The secretary of state also reiterated his position that the war in Iran had effectively ended, despite a fresh escalation in regional violence. His remarks came after Iran launched an attack on Kuwait\u2019s airport on Wednesday, killing one person and injuring 63 others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rubio argued that the United States had already achieved its military objectives and was no longer conducting sustained operations inside Iran. He said the American military campaign, known as \u201cEpic Fury\u201d, had concluded successfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Rubio, Washington defines victory as the destruction of Iran\u2019s defence-industrial base, a significant reduction in its missile launcher capabilities and drone stockpiles, as well as the elimination of much of its conventional military strength.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He claimed that the United States had not only weakened Iran\u2019s missile and drone capabilities but had also destroyed what remained of the country\u2019s air force and wiped out its conventional navy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, Iran has maintained that it will require the release of $12 billion in frozen assets before engaging in meaningful discussions regarding its nuclear programme. Tehran has also rejected earlier comments by US President Donald Trump suggesting that Iran\u2019s enriched uranium stockpile would eventually be destroyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The conflict began on February 28 with joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran and has since spread across much of the Middle East. In response, Iran has targeted American allies throughout the region and effectively blocked the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil shipments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The continued dispute over Iran\u2019s nuclear programme, combined with ongoing military tensions across the region, has complicated efforts to secure a comprehensive peace agreement despite months of negotiations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that the future of Iran\u2019s highly enriched uranium stockpiles remains the central issue in ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran, adding… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4633,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[57,1146,254],"class_list":["post-4632","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world","tag-iran","tag-marco-rubio","tag-united-states"],"yoast_head":"\n