Dust storms represent one of the most critical environmental hazards in southwest Iran, particularly in Khuzestan Province, where both local and transboundary sources contribute to severe summertime air pollution. Among the atmospheric drivers of dust activity, the low-level jet (LLJ) is recognized as a key dynamical mechanism capable of enhancing surface wind stress, dust emission, and horizontal transport. Despite its importance, the quantitative linkage between LLJ variability and dust loading in this region has not been systematically investigated. In this study, the role of summertime low-level jets in modulating dust activity over Khuzestan during June–August (JJA) of 2021–2025 is examined using a combined analysis of ERA5 reanalysis and MERRA-2 aerosol products. LLJ events were identified based on dynamical constraints rather than sole reliance on wind speed maxima, ensuring discrimination between true low-level jets and background synoptic winds. Temporal and spatial relationships between LLJ occurrence and dust indicators were assessed using both optical (DUEXTTAU) and mass-based (DUSMASS) dust variables. Results show that LLJ frequently occurs at lower pressure levels (under 900hPa), 67% of these cases corresponds to dynamically meaningful LLJs penetrating toward the surface. On average, approximately 24% of summertime hourly dust observations coincide with LLJ events. Despite this limited temporal overlap, dust mass concentrations increase substantially during LLJ conditions: the mean DUSMASS under LLJ conditions is about 1.86 times higher than during non-LLJ periods, whereas the corresponding ratio for DUEXTTAU is notably smaller (~1.09). This contrast highlights the stronger sensitivity of near-surface dust mass to low-level dynamical forcing compared to column-integrated optical properties. Spatial analysis reveals pronounced heterogeneity in dust activity across the study domain. Dust hotspots identified using the 90th percentile of summer-mean dust distributions occupy only about 12% of the total spatial grid, indicating that severe dust activity is confined to limited source-prone areas rather than being spatially uniform. Furthermore, grid-cell-based spatial correlation analysis between monthly dust anomalies and 925 hPa wind speed anomalies demonstrates a marked difference between dust indicators. While DUEXTTAU exhibits near-zero mean spatial correlation with low-level wind speed and no areas of strong correlation, DUSMASS shows a moderate positive mean correlation (r ≈ 0.45), with approximately 78% of grid cells displaying positive correlations and nearly 38% exhibiting strong correlations (|r| ≥ 0.7). Overall, the results indicate that LLJs play a critical role in enhancing dust mass emission and transport in Khuzestan, while their influence on dust optical depth is weaker and more spatially variable. These findings emphasize the importance of low-level dynamical processes—particularly LLJs—in shaping the regional dust cycle and provide independent spatial and temporal evidence supporting the role of Khuzestan as a key contributor to dust activity in southwest Asia.