Verdict with Ted Cruz - May 26, 2026


BONUS POD： Trump Drops Uranium Ultimatum “Hand IT Over — Or It’s Gone!＂

Topics
enriched uranium negotiations Hormuz Strait geopolitics
Hosted by
Ted Cruz
Mentioned
Donald Trump Jake Radio Ben Ferguson Obama
Iran Deal! Separating Fact from Fiction, What's Next plus Maine's Nazi Communist Oyster Farmer Election Night： Paxton Defeats Cornyn—What Happened, Why & What’s Next

Episode Stats


Length

14 minutes

Words per minute

147.21

Word count

2,112

Sentence count

124


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

Trump says Iran will not be allowed to keep enriched uranium, period. What does this mean for the Strait of Hormuz and the broader negotiations between the United States and Iran? Plus, what will Iran do with their stockpile of enriched uranium?

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Topics generated with Qwen2.5-3B-Instruct.
Hosts, guests, and mentioned names generated with spaCy (en_core_web_sm), reconciled against Wikidata.
00:00:00.000 This is an iHeart Podcast.
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00:00:37.000 When our founding fathers put the ideas of the Declaration of Independence to paper in Philadelphia,
00:00:43.780 they signed and sealed an oath that had already been written in blood by patriots at Lexington Concord and Bunker Hill.
00:00:51.380 This sacrifice birthed the most incredible and exceptional nation in all of history.
00:00:57.760 And our nation is doing better today than it's ever done before.
00:01:02.940 You're listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson.
00:01:07.020 Good Tuesday morning. Nice to have you with us on the 47 Morning Update.
00:01:10.500 And we've got major movement coming out of Iran.
00:01:13.860 First up, President Trump negotiating with everyone in the world able to see
00:01:18.840 Exactly what he thinks about uranium in Iran.
00:01:22.560 And he put out a very clear statement.
00:01:24.640 We're not messing around.
00:01:26.600 Also, we look like we may be getting closer to a real deal.
00:01:30.820 Now, what will be in that deal?
00:01:32.380 And there's a real timeline now for fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
00:01:37.620 The question is, what will Iran do?
00:01:40.000 And will they screw it up?
00:01:41.700 It's the 47 Morning Update, and it starts right now.
00:01:45.100 Story number one.
00:01:46.160 Donald Trump has come out with a new message on True Social regarding Iran's enriched uranium stockpile.
00:01:53.700 And here's exactly how President Trump framed it.
00:01:56.540 Trump said, quote, the enriched uranium nuclear dust will either be immediately turned over to the United States
00:02:03.280 or be brought home and destroyed, preferably in conjunction and coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran
00:02:11.080 or destroyed in place or at another acceptable location.
00:02:16.900 That line instantly sent shockwaves through not only Washington, but also the Middle East.
00:02:22.640 And then it had a big impact in the international diplomatic circles.
00:02:27.520 Why?
00:02:28.300 Because this wasn't Trump talking vaguely about negotiations.
00:02:32.560 This was the president of the United States publicly declaring
00:02:35.840 that Iran will not be allowed to keep enriched uranium, period.
00:02:40.140 And that, in many ways, changes everything.
00:02:43.580 Now, according to reports following the post,
00:02:46.560 Trump's demand is now central to the ongoing negotiations connected to the conflict in the region
00:02:53.100 and the broader talks involving the Strait of Hormuz, which I'll get to in a moment.
00:02:58.200 For years, Iran has insisted that its uranium enrichment is a sovereign right.
00:03:04.100 Iranian officials have repeatedly argued they should be allowed to maintain a, quote,
00:03:08.400 civilian nuclear program but Donald Trump's position is dramatically different from previous
00:03:14.560 frameworks and especially from American leaders he's not talking about limiting uranium enrichment
00:03:20.880 levels he's not talking about temporary pauses like Obama did either he's talking about physically
00:03:27.500 removing the stockpile from Iranian control or destroying it outright that is a completely
00:03:34.200 different level of pressure and it's exactly why this story matters so much right now because
00:03:40.460 enriched uranium is now the centerpiece of the entire nuclear deal and debate and a ceasefire
00:03:46.280 once uranium by the way reaches higher enrichment levels experts warn the timeline towards
00:03:52.860 weaponization becomes dramatically shorter and the president's smart and understands you cannot
00:03:58.180 trust iran and that's why the administration appears to be pursuing a strategy that's really
00:04:04.300 built around one principle eliminate the stockpile itself no stockpile no breakout capacity no
00:04:13.260 ambiguity and the timing is also well really critical these comments come as the president
00:04:20.120 also continues military pressure and operations near the strait of hormuz multiple reports today
00:04:27.120 confirmed that U.S. forces launched what were described as self-defense strikes
00:04:32.260 targeting Iranian missile sites and naval threats near the shipping corridor.
00:04:37.900 That means diplomacy is happening under the shadow of active military confrontation.
00:04:43.980 Now, at the same time, the Strait of Hormuz remains one of the most strategically important waterways on Earth
00:04:49.980 and a huge centerpiece of not only the global shipping of oil,
00:04:54.700 And the strait also remains one of the most strategically important waterways on Earth.
00:05:00.360 And a huge percentage of what the president has to figure out in this peace deal, possibly with Iran.
00:05:07.740 Now, according to reports, reopening and stabilizing the strait is now deeply connected to the broader nuclear negotiations.
00:05:16.060 Next, story number two.
00:05:17.300 There is a critical moment that's happening right now in negotiations between the United States of America and Iran.
00:05:23.580 and the center of everything is one narrow strip of water and you know it impacts the entire global
00:05:29.660 economy and that is the Strait of Hormuz. Right now the biggest question in the world isn't just
00:05:35.720 whether the U.S. and Iran can avoid another massive escalation. The question is whether
00:05:40.920 global shipping and the oil markets is well going to have stability or it's going to continue to go
00:05:46.800 up and down like crazy all because of the standoff and now there are major developments
00:05:52.520 on both fronts and that is good news now for weeks the United States and Iran have been engaging in
00:05:59.960 these intense negotiations involving multiple mediators this has included Oman and Qatar and
00:06:06.460 even Pakistan they're all trying to get stability in the Middle East they're trying to hammer out
00:06:11.640 a broader agreement tied to the ongoing conflict now this is also happening as Iran is demanding
00:06:17.520 sanction reliefs in a deal and iran says they really don't want to totally get rid of their
00:06:23.240 nuclear ambitions of course they lie and say it is not for nuclear weapons it's just for energy
00:06:28.740 which no one believes them president trump has also publicly said over the weekend that the
00:06:34.580 negotiations are largely at this point negotiated meaning there's a lot of parts of the deal that
00:06:40.280 have already been agreed to and that a breakthrough could actually be very close now iran is
00:06:46.740 simultaneously signaling that while progress is being made a final agreement they're saying is
00:06:52.400 not imminent and they may be lying just to keep the people in iran in line as well as those that
00:06:58.860 are in charge of the government especially knowing that the irgc is in charge of the country right
00:07:05.440 now and that really tells you what you need to know about these talks both sides want a deal
00:07:11.020 but neither side wants to look weak while getting there now the biggest sticking point remains a
00:07:16.720 Iran's enriched uranium stockpiles.
00:07:19.700 The United States has made it clear, President Trump demanding that Iran either surrender,
00:07:24.940 transfer, or neutralize its highly enriched uranium.
00:07:28.840 Now, Iran publicly has said over and over again, they refuse to hand over anything with
00:07:35.420 enriched uranium to America.
00:07:37.480 Instead, we're now being told that negotiators are discussing possible face-saving alternatives,
00:07:43.720 including transferring the material to a third-party country like Pakistan or Turkey,
00:07:49.660 even Russia or China, two of our biggest adversaries.
00:07:53.380 There's also another idea that was floated,
00:07:55.980 allowing Iran to dilute the material under strict international oversight.
00:08:00.980 So that's the diplomatic side that's playing out behind the scenes.
00:08:04.220 But the military and economic side of the story,
00:08:07.160 it still all is revolving around the Strait of Hormuz.
00:08:10.240 And that's where things become incredibly important for Americans listening right now.
00:08:15.860 The Strait of Hormuz, it's clear.
00:08:18.020 It is the most strategic and important waterway on planet Earth when it comes to oil.
00:08:24.200 Roughly 20% of the world's oil supply flows through that narrow corridor.
00:08:29.800 When it is disrupted, we've seen what's happened.
00:08:32.860 Oil prices have spiked.
00:08:34.580 The shipping costs also skyrocket.
00:08:37.700 Inflation, then the risk of it grows.
00:08:40.240 And the global markets do what they do best.
00:08:43.220 They flat out panic.
00:08:45.480 So the big question is this.
00:08:47.620 Is the Strait of Hormuz open or is it closed right now?
00:08:51.420 The honest answer is this.
00:08:53.280 It's partially open, heavily contested, and not operating in a normal atmosphere.
00:09:00.580 Meaning boats are not just coming and going as they need to.
00:09:04.760 Now commercial shipping has resumed in limited forms in some areas.
00:09:08.940 But the situation remains, as they describe it, unstable and highly militarized.
00:09:15.520 The United States naval presence remains enormous in the region.
00:09:19.220 With Iran, they're continuing to use threats, inspections, even proxy pressure and maritime leverage as bargaining tools to get what they want in this peace deal.
00:09:30.040 Now, according to the latest reporting today, negotiators are now discussing a new framework that would fully open the strait roughly 30 days after a formal peace agreement is signed.
00:09:43.600 Now, during that period, Iran would reportedly begin removing naval mines and halt transit fees and restrictions tied to the conflict.
00:09:52.700 Now, that is a huge development. It also means something critical.
00:09:56.860 The strait is not fully normalized yet.
00:10:00.960 If it were fully open and secure, there would be no need for these negotiations to reopen it.
00:10:07.280 And remember how we got here.
00:10:09.060 After the broader conflict escalated earlier this year, Iran used any leverage they could have,
00:10:15.340 and they moved aggressively to disrupt shipping through the strait.
00:10:19.180 The United States then responded with naval operations, escort missions,
00:10:23.300 And eventually, that naval blockade targeting Iranian ships' activity in the waterway.
00:10:29.160 Now, at this point, commercial traffic through the region nearly collapsed.
00:10:33.640 Insurance costs for tankers exploded.
00:10:36.700 Oil markets then panicked, and global shipping companies rerouted their vessels, costing time and money.
00:10:44.400 Some tankers simply refused to transit the area altogether.
00:10:47.740 And the world was reminded how fragile global energy infrastructure really is.
00:10:54.040 Now, the U.S. then launched their maritime operations.
00:10:57.440 That was, in theory, designed to reopen commercial transit and also deter Iranian interference.
00:11:03.680 Those operations included escort missions, mine clearing efforts, and aggressive naval enforcement actions.
00:11:12.000 Now, Iran, meanwhile, they tried to leverage this crisis politically.
00:11:15.600 One proposal from Tehran reportedly included creating a new Persian Gulf shipping authority
00:11:21.040 that would effectively route traffic through Iranian-controlled procedures
00:11:25.320 and potentially would impose tariffs or fees.
00:11:29.980 Gulf Arab states strongly opposed that idea,
00:11:33.120 warning that it would hand Iran too much control over international commerce.
00:11:37.840 And that's where the geopolitical chessboard, well, it gets really fascinating.
00:11:42.120 Because this isn't just about Iran and America any longer.
00:11:46.200 China is now watching closely because China depends heavily on the oil shipments through
00:11:52.500 the strait.
00:11:53.800 Europe is also watching energy prices directly impact their economies.
00:11:59.000 And even more importantly than that, the Gulf states, well, they're watching because their
00:12:03.540 financial futures literally depend on stable exports.
00:12:07.240 And if they don't have it, they don't get the money they need.
00:12:10.300 Now, there's also the war aspect of this.
00:12:12.780 Israel is watching all this because any sanctions relief or nuclear promises, they affect their security and the regional security as well.
00:12:21.960 And Russia, they're also watching as intently as we are because instability in the global energy markets benefits Moscow financially in a way that can alter and change their war with Ukraine.
00:12:34.640 And that's why these negotiations have become so complicated.
00:12:38.360 This isn't simply a bilateral nuclear discussion any longer.
00:12:43.560 It's a negotiation about energy, military power, shipping lanes, proxy wars, regional alliances, and global economic stability.
00:12:54.200 Now, politically, both sides are trying to claim there's real momentum.
00:12:58.900 Some of it's flat-out lies from the Iranian government trying to keep their people in line.
00:13:04.260 Iran is telling its domestic audience that it did not surrender,
00:13:07.920 it did not hand over uranium outright,
00:13:10.740 and forced Washington, they say, into broader negotiations
00:13:13.900 rather than unilateral capitulation.
00:13:17.260 So, here we are.
00:13:18.980 It possibly what could be the beginning of the end of this conflict.
00:13:22.780 The question is, will cooler mines prevail in Iran?
00:13:28.500 Or, are we looking at more military strikes from the United States government?
00:13:32.180 at the leadership of President Donald Trump.
00:13:35.120 Thank you for listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson.
00:13:39.460 Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever you're listening to this podcast right now.
00:13:44.760 And for more in-depth news, also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson podcast,
00:13:49.200 and we will see you back here tomorrow.
00:14:02.180 and stream it for free right now awesome health and wellness tips 24 hours a day seven days a
00:14:08.580 week remember stick to the fight when your heart is hit it's when things seem worse that you must
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