"The United States will reach an agreement with Iran. They have agreed to hand over 'nuclear dust' to us," U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters outside the White House on April 16, using his own term to refer to Tehran's stockpile of enriched uranium.
If Trump's statement is accurate, this would be a significant step forward in Washington's efforts to limit Tehran's nuclear weapons development capabilities.
Giving up highly enriched uranium – a core element of the nuclear program – has long been XEM a key condition for reaching any agreement between the two sides.
However, specific details regarding the scale, form of handover, or monitoring mechanism have not yet been released. Iran has not responded to this information.
Trump: Iran has agreed to transfer enriched uranium to the US.
"Nuclear dust" is the term Trump used to describe highly enriched uranium, believed to be buried deep underground following the U.S. attacks on the Fordow and Natanz nuclear facilities. The presence of this material in Iran has long been a key point of tension between Washington and Tehran. This highly enriched uranium is XEM a security threat to the U.S., as it could be used to manufacture nuclear weapons.
The US and Iran failed to reach an agreement in 21-hour peace talks in Islamabad last weekend. Washington insisted Tehran refused to relinquish its right to enrich nuclear material.
US Vice President JD Vance emphasized that if the US's "red line" regarding Iran's nuclear ambitions is met, it could be a very good deal for both countries.
Washington has proposed freezing Iran's uranium enrichment for 20 years, but Tehran has said it can only agree to do so for five years.
Iran has consistently maintained that it is not seeking nuclear weapons and that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
In other news, President Donald Trump announced a “historic ceasefire” lasting 10 days between Israel and Lebanon. He claimed this was the 10th conflict he had mediated.
According to him, there were "excellent" talks with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The agreement will take effect at 5 p.m. on April 17 (Eastern Time).
“Israel and Lebanon met for the first time in 34 years in Washington. I instructed Vice President JD. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine to ensure that the two countries achieve lasting peace,” Trump emphasized.
Source: Reuters, WSJ, The Washington Post
