President Donald Trump said Monday that the US will secure Iran's nuclear "dust," either by force of via the negotiating table, amid a deadlock in ongoing negotiations.
"Iran will not have a nuclear weapon, and we're going to get the dust back. We'll get it back, either we'll get it back from them, or we'll take it," he told reporters outside of the Oval Office. It is unclear what the president was referring to by mentioning "dust," including whether that means all of Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium.
Last week, he wrote on his social media platform Truth Social: "The United States will, working with Iran, dig up and remove all of the deeply buried (B-2 Bombers) Nuclear 'Dust'."
Trump said Iranian officials reached out to the US after historic direct talks fell apart on Saturday, adding that he believes Tehran would "like to make a deal very badly." Trump claimed that during this weekend's negotiations in Pakistan, the US and Iran "agreed to a lot of things, but they didn't agree to" refrain from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
"I think they will agree to it. I'm almost sure of it. In fact, I am sure of it. If they don't agree there's no deal there'll never be a deal," he said.
The US military on Monday began a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports as announced by Trump on Sunday.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Sunday that the blockade will be "enforced impartially against vessels of all nations" entering or leaving Iranian ports in the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
"CENTCOM forces will not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports," it said.
After the blockade was officially underway, Trump warned that any Iranian fast-attack ships that came close would be destroyed. He told reporters that his blockade is an effort to force Iran back to the negotiating table by denying it any revenues from the transit of commercial vessels through the strait, and to reduce energy prices for US consumers.
"Both of those things, certainly and more. We can't let a country blackmail or extort the world, because that's what they're doing. They're really blackballing the world," he said in response to a reporter's question.
"We have a blockade. They're doing no business. I didn't like seeing boats come out if they were doing business with Iran, but if there weren't, no boats came out. So now Iran is doing absolutely no business, and we're going to keep it that way very easily," he added.
