Trump Says Retrieving Iran’s ‘Nuclear Dust’ Will Be ‘Difficult’
Forbes Staff.
Siladitya Ray is a New Delhi-based Forbes news team reporter.
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Topline
President Donald Trump said the process of retrieving enriched uranium from Iran will be a difficult process ing last year’s airstrikes on the country’s nuclear facilities, as the fate of the second round of peace talks between both countries remains uncertain ahead of a ceasefire set to expire Wednesday.
President Donald Trump said he expects Iran to return to the negotiating table.
Associated Press
Key Facts
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Operation Midnight Hammer had resulted in the “complete and total obliteration” of Iran’s “Nuclear Dust sites,” referring to the U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s underground nuclear facilities.
The president said that because of this, the “digging it out” will be a “long and difficult process.”
Trump also attacked CNN and other media outlets in his post, saying they “fail to give our great aviators the credit they deserve,” although it’s unclear what piece of coverage he was referring to.
The president has insisted that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and even suggested that a peace deal will involve removing Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium from the country—something Tehran has vehemently pushed back against.
Before his Truth Social post, Trump appeared on the conservative talk radio program John Fredericks Show and said Iran is going to have to negotiate and if they don’t, they will “see problems they’ve never seen before.”
Trump said he hoped they’ll agree to a “fair deal” and build their country back up, but reiterated “they will not have a nuclear weapon.”
What Have Iranian Officials Said?
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf, who was involved in the first round of talks with JD Vance in Islamabad earlier this month, wrote on X: “By enforcing a siege and breaking the truce, Trump delusionally aims to either turn talks into capitulation or excuse fresh hostilities.” The Iranian leader then warned: “We will not hold negotiations under threat, and in the last two weeks, we have prepared to play new cards on the battlefield.”
What To Watch For
The status of the second round of peace talks remains unclear as the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is set to expire on Wednesday. Trump told Bloomberg on Monday morning that it is “highly unly” that he will extend the ceasefire if a peace deal is not reached between the two countries. Multiple outlets have reported that Vice President JD Vance and other U.S. officials are expected to travel to Islamabad on Tuesday. Iranian state broadcaster however reported that “so far, no delegation from Iran has travelled to Islamabad.” On Monday, Esmail Baghaei, the spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, said “no decision” had been made on attending the second round of talks. After initially signaling support for talks, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian appeared to backpedal on X, ing: “Deep historical mistrust in Iran toward U.S. gov conduct remains, while unconstructive & contradictory signals from American officials carry a bitter message; they seek Iran’s surrender. Iranians do not submit to force.”
Tangent
In a statement issued to state media, Iran’s foreign ministry the U.S. seizure of one of an Iranian vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz, calling it an act of “maritime piracy” and “terrorism.” The ministry accused the U.S. military of intimidating the ship’s crew and demanded the immediate release of “the vessel, its crew and their families.” U.S. Central Command said the commercial vessel, Touska, was seized after it failed to comply with its blockade of Iranian ports.
Big Number
$94.57. That is the price of a barrel of crude oil as per the global benchmark Brent Crude Futures contract for the month of June. The price is slightly down after breaching the $96 mark on Monday as uncertainty over the talks persist.
Key Background
Last week, after the Iranian foreign minister announced the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, Trump proclaimed that Iran had “agreed to everything” his administration asked for, including allowing the extraction of enriched uranium from the country. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqei quickly shot back on state media, saying, “Iran’s enriched uranium is not going to be transferred anywhere.” Some reports also suggested that the Trump administration was considering unfreezing $20 billion in Iranian assets in a bid to entice Tehran to give up its nuclear material.
Further Reading
Iran Peace Talks Uncertain, But Could Still Take Place This Week, Reports Indicate (Forbes)
Trump Boasts Iran ‘Agreed To Everything’ — Iran Quickly Says It Won’t Give Up Uranium (Forbes)
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