Iran's Supreme National Security Council published a formal list of demands on Saturday that must be met before the Strait of Hormuz reopens to normal shipping, throwing a negotiation that U.S. officials had described as days from completion into open doubt.
U.S. and Israeli airstrikes in February prompted Iran to effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman through which roughly a fifth of the world's seaborne oil normally passes on its way to global markets.
That running toll is what makes the diplomatic timeline harder to square with events actually unfolding on the water.
7, Trump had struck a more measured tone when speaking with reporters, saying, "I don't think they can go much longer," in reference to Iran's capacity to sustain the standoff economically and militarily, according to Fox 4 Beaumont .
None of that is guaranteed to reverse quickly even if Saturday's impasse eventually breaks in Iran's or America's favor.
Iran's Supreme National Security Council issued sweeping demands Saturday just days after a UAE tanker was struck and U.S. officials predicted an imminent deal, while Washington state gas prices climb past $5 a gallon.