US President Donald Trump has claimed that Iran is prepared to hand over what he referred to as its “nuclear dust” to the United States. The term “nuclear dust” is believed to refer to material buried deep underground following US strikes on three key Iranian nuclear facilities in June last year. “The USA will get all nuclear dust created by our great B-2 bombers – no money will exchange hands in any way, shape, or form,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Prior to the US and Israeli airstrikes, Iran was believed to possess more than 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent, as well as nearly 200 kilograms enriched to 20 percent—material that could potentially be further refined to 90 percent weapons-grade uranium. Iran’s nuclear programme has long been a major point of tension between Washington and Tehran. The United States has consistently viewed Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium as a significant security concern, citing the risk that it could be used to develop nuclear weapons.
