US President Donald Trump said on Monday that there are several options on the table for dealing with Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium, should Washington and Tehran reach a peace agreement in the ongoing negotiations between the two sides.
Trump explained in a post on the “Truth Social” platform that “the enriched uranium (nuclear dust!) will either be immediately delivered to the United States for transport and destruction, or – preferably in coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran – destroyed on site or at another location to be agreed upon, in the presence of the Atomic Energy Commission or its equivalent to supervise this process.”
The United States has for years insisted on the need to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program and abandon its stockpile of enriched uranium, which remained a major point of contention during the latest round of talks hosted by Qatar, amid indications that the two sides are nearing an agreement that could end the tension and lead to the gradual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, according to The Hill newspaper.
Since the crisis erupted last February, Trump has repeatedly used the term “nuclear dust” to refer to enriched uranium, and has previously floated the idea of deploying US ground troops to transport these materials out of Iran.
For his part, US House Speaker Mike Johnson used the same expression during an interview with Fox News on Sunday, praising the Trump administration’s performance in the recent negotiations.
Johnson said: “We will take care of nuclear fallout, and we will reopen the Strait of Hormuz. This will be beneficial for fuel prices and global stability, and that is why allied countries are following the lead of the United States under President Trump.”
Trump has repeatedly stated that Iran cannot possess or develop a nuclear weapon, and he has continued to criticize the nuclear agreement concluded under former President Barack Obama, which imposed restrictions on Tehran’s stockpile of enriched uranium, before he withdrew from it in 2018, according to The Hill.
In contrast, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei said that the fate of Iranian nuclear materials “is not part of the current negotiations,” stressing that the focus at this stage is on “ending the war.”
For his part, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in an interview with Iranian state television that his country is ready “to reassure the world that it is not seeking to acquire a nuclear weapon,” stressing that the Iranian nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
Prior to the latest ceasefire, US forces had targeted Iranian nuclear facilities, including the Ardakan “yellowcake” production facility in Yazd and the Shahid Khondab heavy water complex in Arak, according to Iranian state media.
The nuclear facilities were the primary target of the first US and Israeli attacks on Iran in June of last year, when Trump said those facilities were “completely destroyed.”
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