Iran and the United States are locked in a high-stakes dispute over the future of negotiations, with both sides believing they can outlast each other. The Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping waterway, has been closed to shipping traffic, trapping oil, fertilizer and petroleum products in the Persian Gulf and increasing global energy prices. Oil prices reached their highest level since 2022 after President Donald Trump stated that he was prepared to maintain a blockade on Iranian ports until leaders in Tehran "cry uncle." Iran has offered to negotiate over opening the shipping passage first, postponing nuclear talks. Despite this, there is strong international opposition to Iran’s closing of the strait and its insistence on the right to regulate traffic and charge tolls.