In a move that has stunned international observers, President Donald Trump announced on Friday that the United States and Iran are close to a breakthrough “transaction” that would see both nations work together to retrieve enriched uranium buried during military strikes last summer.

During a phone interview with Reuters and a series of posts on Truth Social, the President described a collaborative effort to excavate what he termed “nuclear dust” and transport it to American soil.

“We’re going to get it together,” the President said, characterizing the planned operation as a low-stress, methodical endeavor. “We’re going to go in with Iran, at a nice leisurely pace, and go down and start excavating with big machinery. We’ll bring it back to the United States.” The President emphasized that the deal would involve no financial exchange, asserting that the U.S. would secure the material “with no money having exchanged hands in any way, shape, or form.”

The material in question includes an estimated 400 kg of uranium enriched to over 60%, which was buried underground following a 12-day conflict in June 2025 involving joint U.S.-Israeli strikes. The fate of this stockpile has been a central point of contention in negotiations aimed at ending the broader regional war.

While President Trump expressed high confidence that Tehran has already agreed to hand over the stockpile, Iranian officials have not yet publicly confirmed that they will allow U.S. personnel and machinery onto their soil for such an operation.

The announcement comes as indirect talks continue in Muscat, Oman, and Islamabad, Pakistan, with a second round of high-level meetings potentially scheduled for this weekend. Despite the optimistic tone regarding the uranium recovery, the President noted that the U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz will “remain in full force” until the deal is “100 percent complete.” International analysts remain cautious, noting that while the rhetoric has shifted toward cooperation, significant logistical and political hurdles remain before “leisurely” joint excavations can begin.