The US military is preparing to board tankers linked to Iran in the coming days. The aim is to seize merchant ships in international waters — the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing American officials.
Reuters, which forwarded this information, admits that it could not immediately verify the reports.
According to the report, the Trump administration's decision about Increasing economic pressure on Tehran aims to force the regime to make concessions on its nuclear program as part of negotiations aimed at ending the war.
See also: U-turn on the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran issued a statement
Intercepting Iran-linked vessels in international waters would constitute an extension of the conflictwhich has been largely confined to the strait in recent weeks.
US-Iran negotiations. What's next?
Iran is not yet ready to hold a new round of direct talks with the United States. Iran's deputy foreign minister, Saeed Khatibzadeh, told The Associated Press that his country will not hand over its enriched uranium to the United States, contrary to Donald Trump's claims.
“I can tell you that no enriched material will be sent to the United States” Khatibzadeh said. “This is an unacceptable starting point, and I can assure you that while we are ready to address any concerns, we will not accept things that are unacceptable.”
See also: Historic Friday on world markets. Crude oil has become cheaper
Khatibzadeh said there had been numerous exchanges of messages between the sides, but accused the United States of clinging to demands that Iran considers it excessive.
“We are still not at the stage of transition to an actual meeting, because there are issues on which the Americans have not yet given up their maximalist position,” he stressed.
