US, Iran at odds over Tehran's uranium stockpile and Strait of Hormuz control

The United States and Iran remained at odds on Thursday over Tehran's uranium stockpile and control of the Strait of Hormuz, but US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there were "some good signs" in the negotiations.

President Donald Trump said the United States would eventually get Iran's high-enriched uranium stockpile, which Washington believes could be used to make nuclear weapons, but Tehran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

"We will get it. We don't need it, we don't want it. We'll probably destroy it when we get it, but we just won't let them have it," Trump told reporters at the White House.

Rubio told reporters that a diplomatic solution would be impossible if Tehran implemented a toll system in the Strait of Hormuz. However, he also noted that some progress had been made in the talks.

"There are some good signs right now, but I don't want to get overly optimistic... so let's see how the next few days play out," Rubio said.

A senior Iranian source told Reuters on Thursday that no agreement had yet been reached, but that the differences had narrowed. He also said that Iran's uranium enrichment and Tehran's control over the Strait of Hormuz remained the main points of contention.

Oil prices gyrated wildly in choppy trade on Thursday, at one point falling as markets remained uncertain about the prospects for a resolution to the conflict.

Before Trump's remarks, two Iranian sources told Reuters that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei had issued instructions not to send uranium stockpiles abroad.

Trump also criticized Tehran's plan to levy tolls on the Strait of Hormuz, which before the war carried one-fifth of the world's oil and gas transport.