The Trump administration proposed a 20-year moratorium on uranium enrichment to Iran to move towards a ceasefire, according to a new report.
Axios detailed that Tehran signaled openness to the idea but for a shorter, "single digit" period. No agreement was reached and talks ended in Pakistan, but developments on Monday suggest contacts are still ongoing.
President Donald Trump said Iranian leaders called him on Monday and they "would like to work a deal."
Speaking to press at the White House, Trump said he got a call from "the right people" in the country about resuming talks, but emphasized on the need to get a commitment from Tehran about not pursuing a nuclear weapon.
"If they don't agree, there's no deal, there'll never be a deal," he said. "Iran will not have a nuclear weapon, and we're going to get the dust back. We'll get it back, either we'll get it back from them, or we'll take it," he added, in reference to the nuclear material targeted last year as part of the 12-day war with Israel.
Moreover, CBS News claimed that engagement between the two countries has continued since the weekend, with one official familiar with the matter telling the outlet that there is "forward motion on trying to get to an agreement."
In the meantime, Trump threatened to destroy Iranian "fast attack ships" if they attempt to disrupt the U.S.'s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which went into effect on Monday.
In a social media publication, Trump noted previous attacks against the Iranian navy, saying it is "laying at the bottom of the sea, completely obliterated."
He went on to say that the mentioned ships were not targeted "because we did not consider them much of a threat" but warned that if they move against the blockade, they "will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea" in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
"It is quick and brutal. P.S. 98.2% of Drugs coming into the U.S. by Ocean or Sea have STOPPED!" Trump added.
Tehran, in turn, said the blockade "amounts to piracy" and threatened a "forceful response" to U.S. actions, including targeting ports across the Gulf.
"Security in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman is either for everyone or for NO ONE," the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting reported Monday, according to The Associated Press.
Originally published on IBTimes
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