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The president Donald Trump published an ultimatum on Monday on his platform Truth Social regarding the fate of Iranian enriched uranium, which he derogatorily referred to as "nuclear dust," demanding that it be handed over to the United States or destroyed under international supervision.
In the message, Trump wrote: "Enriched uranium (Nuclear Dust!) will be immediately delivered to the United States to be brought home and destroyed or, preferably, in conjunction and coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran, destroyed on-site or at another acceptable location, with the Atomic Energy Commission, or its equivalent, as a witness to this process and event."
The statement, signed as "President DJT," implicitly dismisses the proposal that Vladimir Putin made on May 9, when he suggested that Russia store Iranian uranium — as happened in 2015.
Iran itself had temporarily dismissed that Russian option on May 15 to avoid complicating direct negotiations with Washington.
The message comes amidst active nuclear negotiations between both countries that have been ongoing since April 2025 and have included at least five rounds, with Pakistan serving as the main mediator.
The central issue of the process is the duration of a possible moratorium on enrichment: Washington demands up to 20 years, while Tehran has offered between five and 15.
This Monday, Trump also stated that the deal with Iran was "smooth sailing", although on May 19 he had given Tehran "two or three days" to accept a deal, and on April 19 he warned that if Iran did not sign, "the whole country will be blown up."
The immediate backdrop to these demands is the bombings of June 22, 2025, when the U.S. executed Operation Midnight Hammer, attacking with B-2 bombers and Tomahawk missiles the Iranian nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
After the attacks, Trump stated that the sites were "completely and totally obliterated," but a leaked assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency concluded that the Iranian nuclear program was only delayed by months, not years.
Before the bombings, Iran possessed 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% purity—enough for about nine nuclear weapons if enriched to 90%, according to the Arms Control Center—.
The exact location of that material remains unverified. According to the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, the organization has been unable to verify the declared inventories of Iranian uranium for over eight months, a situation that was reported on March 2 of this year.
Iran maintains that uranium enrichment is a sovereign right and has systematically rejected proposals that involve its complete elimination, making Trump's demand the most contentious point in negotiations that still do not have a closing date.
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