Former Middle East Envoy Jason Greenblatt, who served in President Donald Trump’s first term, urged the United States and its allies to seize control of the Strait of Hormuz Wednesday. The narrow waterway serves as the world’s chokepoint for oil transit, with a fifth of the world’s oil shipping through the strait.

He also said that a ground operation was needed to seize Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium.

“One way or the other, the U.S. and its allies have to take some sort of control of the Strait of Hormuz to make sure this never happens again … and to ensure that Iran can no longer put the world in danger the way it has done so far,” Greenblatt said.

Despite its poor negotiating position after suffering weeks of devastating strikes, Iran’s absurd demands in negotiations, such as charging fees to pass through the strait and reparations for war damages, remain defiant and overblown. Characterizing its demands as “uber-aggressive,” Greenblatt said Trump would never accede to them.

Iran is in fact charging fees for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, according to the secretary-general of a bloc of Gulf countries. The fees run into the millions of dollars per ship.

Greenblatt also explained the need for boots on the ground, while acknowledging that this move would be unpopular in a war that is already unpopular with the American public.

“I know people are against boots on the ground, but I don’t see how you can get that [enriched uranium] if there is no deal without some sort of special force operation going to retrieve that nuclear material,” he said.

However, he emphasized that the goal of the United States is not regime change.

“Regime change has to come from within,” he said. “If we try to enforce regime change, it won’t be successful.”