US Official: Iran Refused to Halt Enrichment and Open the Strait of Hormuz

SadaNews - A senior US official announced on Sunday that Iran has rejected a request to halt uranium enrichment and dismantle its main enrichment facilities.

The official stated that Iran also rejected a call to stop funding Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, and to completely open the Strait of Hormuz, according to "Reuters".

US Vice President JD Vance said that negotiations in the Pakistani capital Islamabad ended early Sunday between the US and Iran without reaching a peace agreement, after the Iranians refused to accept American conditions to not develop nuclear weapons, confirming that he made "the best possible and final offer" to Iran.

According to the "New York Times" and "Axios", the disagreements included Iran's request to control the Strait of Hormuz and its refusal to abandon its stockpile of enriched uranium.

Vance confirmed to reporters in Pakistan that US officials were leaving negotiations with Iran without reaching an agreement, adding that they intended to return to the United States. He said: "We were extremely flexible, and Iran chose not to accept the American conditions."

On his part, the Iranian Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who led his country's delegation in the talks with the US, considered that Washington had not earned Tehran's trust in the negotiations, which did not result in an agreement that would put a final end to the war in the Middle East.

Qalibaf said in a statement hours after the talks concluded in Pakistan: "My colleagues in the Iranian delegation... proposed constructive initiatives, but in the end, the other party was not able to gain the trust of the Iranian delegation in this round of negotiations."

Additionally, US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that the US Navy would begin enforcing a naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz "immediately", by stopping all ships trying to enter or leave it.

Trump wrote in a post on his "Truth Social" account: "Starting now, the US Navy will begin the process of stopping all ships trying to enter or leave the Strait of Hormuz." He added: "The closure will begin soon. Other countries will participate in this closure."

The US President revealed that he has also instructed the US Navy forces to look for any ship in international waters that has paid fees to Iran for passing through the Strait of Hormuz to seize it.

Trump wrote: "I have also ordered our Navy to look for any ship in international waters that has paid Iran (for passing through the Strait of Hormuz) and intercept it. No ship that paid these illegal fees will be allowed safe passage on the high seas."