President Donald Trump said the United States will work with Iran to dig up and remove its remaining nuclear material [1].
The plan represents a shift in U.S. security policy toward Iran’s nuclear program. By removing leftover materials, the administration aims to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon [1, 3].
Trump described a process of retrieval and confiscation across several public appearances. During a Turning Point USA event in Phoenix on April 17, the president focused on the physical scale of the operation. "We will take the nuclear dust from Iran, we need the biggest excavators you can imagine," Trump said [2].
This approach follows a series of statements made over the last month. On April 8, the president said to Stars and Stripes that the U.S. would work closely with Iran to remove the material [1]. He later emphasized the use of surveillance to monitor the process, saying on May 10 that the U.S. is watching Iranian facilities from space [3].
During an Oval Office briefing on May 11, Trump discussed the history of diplomatic efforts with the region. He said that the U.S. had a deal with Iran four of five times, but that the Iranian government changes its mind [4].
While some reports have questioned the technical feasibility of retrieving such materials, Trump has consistently asserted that the U.S. will carry out the operation [1, 2, 3]. He said that the confiscation of this "nuclear dust" is a necessary step for regional security [2].
“"We will take the nuclear dust from Iran, we need the biggest excavators you can imagine."”
The proposal to physically remove nuclear material suggests a move toward a highly intrusive verification or disarmament regime. If implemented, this would require a level of cooperation from Tehran that exceeds previous diplomatic agreements, as it involves the physical extraction of materials and the use of U.S.-coordinated heavy machinery on Iranian soil.
