‘Do nothing, get nothing’ – US issues stern nuclear warning | World | News
US and Iranian flags waving together (Image: rarrarorro via Getty Images)
While the world waits to see whether the country will give up its enriched uranium stockpile, US President Donald Trump’s administration has given Tehran a harsh ultimatum.
“No dust, no dollars” for Iran, a senior Trump official said on Sunday, May 24; This means Tehran will receive no aid unless it surrenders its enriched uranium.
Trump announced a memorandum of understanding on Saturday that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and allow nuclear talks to continue for another 30 days.
The strait has remained closed to Iran since the conflict broke out nearly three months ago, when the United States and Israel launched joint attacks on several key Iranian targets.
Trump officials confirmed there would be no immediate deal, stating that any deal would take at least five to seven days to finalize.
Satellite image of the Strait of Hormuz (Image: Alones Creative via Getty Images)
“Both parties should take their time and do the job right. There can be no mistakes!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday.
Iran won’t stand to gain much unless it fulfills its promise to deliver its enriched uranium, a senior administration official said.
“It’s 95% done, but literally changing the words requires days of thought in their system,” the official told reporters.
“If there is no powder, if there is no dollar, in other words, if there is no highly enriched uranium, then the Iranians will not be able to provide any real relief.”
“If they do nothing, they can achieve nothing. If they do a lot, they can actually achieve a lot.”
The same senior Trump official stated in a Sunday afternoon briefing that the Trump team “will reach a better deal” than the Obama administration’s multinational Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreement.
(FILES) U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a Mother’s Day luncheon in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 8, 2026. US President Donald Trump said on May 23 that Iran and the US had “substantially negotiated” a deal that would include opening the Strait of Hormuz, but that the draft was “subject to finalization.” (Photo: Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images) (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The JCPOA allowed Iran to continue certain enrichment activities.
“There were pallets of money, and we sent $1.7 billion of money there from American banks, and they used it to build centrifuges and finance terrorism,” the official said.
American and Iranian negotiators are currently discussing a complete ban on enrichment that would last decades, but the exact time frame has not yet been determined.
“No one disputes that stockpiled enriched material will be destroyed. It’s a question of how to do it,” the official said.
“And at the same time, while we figure out how, we will ensure that the strait is opened, the blockade is lifted and the economy is given some breathing room.”
