The president of the United States, Donald Trump, has raised the possibility that Washington could take Iranian nuclear material as part of an eventual agreement with Tehran and has warned that there are "more hostile" options if the open negotiations fail.
The declarations reinforce the White House's pressure strategy at a time of high regional tension, marked by the partial truce after the latest cross-border attacks between the United States, Israel, and Iran.
Control of the nuclear program as a condition
Trump maintained that a negotiated exit involves preventing Iran from maintaining sensitive nuclear capability and hinted that the United States could assume control of that material within the framework of a negotiated solution. The president did not detail the legal or technical format of that proposal, but made it clear that the objective continues to be to neutralize any option for military nuclear development by the Islamic Republic.
Washington has maintained for months that it will not accept an agreement that allows Tehran to retain enrichment capacity without strict supervision.
Threat of new measures
Alongside the diplomatic route, Trump warned that “more hostile” alternatives exist if there are no advances in the negotiation, without specifying whether he was referring to new sanctions, military actions, or greater economic restrictions.
The message arrives as the region remains pending the evolution of the Strait of Hormuz, the partial ceasefire, and the indirect contacts between both parties.
The US administration thus seeks to combine maximum pressure and accelerated negotiation, while Tehran insists on defending its right to a nuclear program of a civil nature.