(Sarah Roderick-Fitch, The Center Square) The United States will receive Iran’s “nuclear dust,” President Donald Trump said Friday.
“The U.S.A. will get all the nuclear ‘dust,’ created by our great B2 bombers – no money will exchange hands in any way, shape, or form,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
It is unclear whether the agreement to hand over the nuclear materials is part of a finalized deal with the Islamic Republic.
The president confirmed the agreement is separate from the ceasefire deal in Lebanon, pausing Israeli forces targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iran’s largest terror proxy.
“This deal is in no way subject to Lebanon, and deal with the Hezbollah situation in an appropriate manner. Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer. They are prohibited from doing so by the U.S.A. Enough is enough!” Trump added.
The announcement comes shortly after the president and Iranian officials said the Strait of Hormuz fully reopened, following Iranian officials’ confirmation that the reopening was due to the ceasefire in Lebanon.
Iran closed strait shortly after the beginning Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28, leading to a halt of commercial shipping traffic, including oil shipments.
After the announcement of the reopening Friday morning, the price of crude oil dropped over 10%, to just over $81 a barrel. Oil had reached its peak on April 6 at $112 per barrel.
The announcements come as the clock is ticking on the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, and as Trump maintains the two countries are close to a deal, underscoring that Iran must commit to not producing nuclear weapons.
The president indicated that talks in Pakistan may resume over the weekend after Vice President JD Vance failed to produce a deal last weekend. The White House has yet to announce a second round of talks; however, Trump has said he has been in direct contact with Iranian officials.
On Monday, Trump announced a total blockade of Iranian ports in an effort to squeeze the regime economically.
In a second Truth Social post Friday morning, the president confirmed the naval blockade on Iran remains in effect “until such time as our transaction with Iran is 100% complete.”
Trump added, “the process should go very quickly in that most of the points are already negotiated” in relation to reaching a final deal with the Islamic Republic.
In addition to no nuclear weapons, Trump has insisted the deal must also include Iran ceasing support for terror proxies, such as Hezbollah and the Houthis.
