President Donald Trump on Thursday said the United States has “total control” of the Strait of Hormuz through its naval blockade and vowed that Washington would recover Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, warning Tehran against pursuing a nuclear weapon.Speaking at the White House, Trump said, “We have total control of Strait of Hormuz with our blockade. Iran will not get nuclear weapon or we’ll do something drastic.”Trump reiterated that the US would not allow Iran to retain near-weapons-grade nuclear material, which American officials believe was hidden underground following US and Israeli airstrikes nearly a year ago.“We will get it. We don’t need it, we don’t want it. We’ll probably destroy it after we get it, but we’re not going to let them have it.”Iran is believed to possess around 900 pounds of highly enriched uranium, considered sufficient for potential weapons development if further refined. Retrieving or neutralising the stockpile remains a central objective of Trump’s military and diplomatic strategy towards Tehran.The dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme has also heightened tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil shipping routes, where the US continues to enforce a naval blockade.Trump claimed the blockade had been “100 per cent effective” and described it as a “steel wall” preventing vessels from moving freely through the strategic corridor.At the same time, Trump said Washington wanted the Strait of Hormuz to remain open for international navigation, stating, “We want it free, we don’t want tolls. It’s international, it’s an international waterway.”Amid fragile diplomatic engagements between Tehran and Washington, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has ordered that the stockpile of enriched uranium “should not leave the country”, rejecting Trump’s key demand in the ongoing peace talks, Reuters reported, citing two Iranian sources.US secretary of state Marco Rubio also referred to a visit by Pakistan’s army chief to Tehran as part of ongoing diplomatic efforts, saying, “Hopefully that’ll advance this further.”
