U.S.-Iran talks stall as negotiations deadlock over Strait of Hormuz issues

U.S.-Iran negotiations were still running on May 23, but the main disputes had not narrowed. British parliamentary researchers said the 2026 talks were focused on Iran’s nuclear and ballistic-missile programmes, U.S. sanctions and the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway at the center of the latest deadlock. Marco Rubio, the U.S. secretary of state, said there were “some good signs,” according to recent reporting cited in the source briefings, but no settlement has been announced. At the same time, reporting from the Jerusalem Post said Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had insisted enriched uranium must stay in Iran, leaving one of the core U.S. demands unresolved. ### Why is the Strait of Hormuz at the center of these talks? (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) The Strait of Hormuz handles around 20% of global petroleum trade and about 20% of liquefied natural gas flows, according to the House of Commons Library. The same briefing said roughly 3,000 vessels used the strait each month before the conflict and traffic had fallen to about 5% of that level after the fighting. (jpost.com) Iran’s leverage over that route has become one of the biggest bargaining points in the talks. The Globe and Mail reporting cited in the source briefings said Rubio ruled out any deal that would allow Tehran to impose a tolling system in the waterway, linking maritime access directly to the diplomatic track. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) ### What are Washington and Tehran still arguing about? The House of Commons Library said the central agenda includes Iran’s nuclear programme, its ballistic-missile programme and sanctions relief. That framing places the talks well beyond a narrow ceasefire discussion and ties them to the broader military confrontation that began earlier this year. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s reported position on enriched uranium is especially important because uranium stockpiles have been a recurring U.S. concern. (theglobeandmail.com) The Jerusalem Post reported that Iranian sources said Khamenei had ordered that enriched uranium remain in Iran, a stance that could complicate any formula requiring removal, transfer or outside custody of nuclear material. ### How does the war earlier this year shape the diplomacy now? (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) February 28, 2026, is the date the House of Commons Library gives for the start of Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran. That briefing said a conditional ceasefire was declared on April 8 and that Pakistan has been mediating the talks that followed. The same parliamentary material said Iran responded with strikes on Israel, U.S. military bases in the region and sites in Arab states that host U.S. forces. (jpost.com) That broader military backdrop helps explain why shipping security, missile limits and sanctions are being negotiated together rather than as separate files. ### What has Rubio said, and what does it tell us? (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) Rubio’s “some good signs” comment, as quoted in the reporting cited by the briefings, suggests the channel has not broken down. But the same reporting also said he rejected any outcome that would formalize Iranian tolling power in the Strait of Hormuz, showing that the U.S. position still includes hard limits on what Tehran can retain. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) Khamenei’s reported insistence on keeping enriched uranium in Iran points the other way. Taken together, the two positions indicate that negotiators are still talking while holding firm on the assets each side considers strategic. That is an inference from the reported positions, not a declared joint assessment. (theglobeandmail.com) ### What happens next? Pakistan remains the named mediator in the House of Commons Library’s account of the 2026 talks. No public date for a breakthrough or signing has been confirmed in the sources reviewed, and the latest verified picture is that the diplomatic channel remains open but unresolved. Any next step is likely to be measured against three concrete issues already on the table: the future of Iran’s enriched uranium, the terms for sanctions relief and access through the Strait of Hormuz. (theglobeandmail.com) Those are the issues identified in the parliamentary briefings and the recent reporting that continues to frame the negotiations. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk 1) (commonslibrary.parliament.uk 2)