In a dramatic turn of events, President Donald Trump revealed today that the United States would begin high-level, direct negotiations with Iran regarding its nuclear program. The announcement came during his Oval Office meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu.
“We’re having direct talks with Iran, and they’ve started,” Trump said to the press on Monday, following a meeting that was initially expected to center on Israel’s request for relief from new U.S. trade tariffs.
“Maybe a deal’s going to be made, that would be great. We are meeting very importantly on Saturday, at almost the highest level,” he added, surprising many with the timing and nature of the disclosure.
Trump’s declaration came just one day after Iranian officials publicly dismissed the idea of entering direct talks with the United States about their nuclear program, labeling such efforts as futile.
The president withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 nuclear deal during his first term in office in 2018, and speculation has continued ever since about whether Israel, with or without American involvement, would consider striking Iranian nuclear sites if no diplomatic resolution is reached.
“Everybody agrees that doing a deal would be preferable to doing the obvious — and the obvious is not something that I want to be involved with, or frankly, that Israel wants to be involved with, if they can avoid it,” Trump stated.
The announcement coincided with Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, where he became the first foreign leader to personally ask Trump to reconsider the newly imposed tariffs that have rattled international trade markets.
Netanyahu promised to reduce the trade imbalance between the U.S. and Israel and said he would work to eliminate remaining trade barriers. Ahead of the meeting, Israel had already taken steps to remove its final tariffs on American goods.
He noted that he believed Israel could serve “as a model for many countries” in how to approach and resolve tariff disputes diplomatically.
The two leaders also addressed the worsening situation in Gaza, where a short-lived truce between Israel and Hamas, facilitated by the United States, had recently fallen apart.
Netanyahu told reporters that efforts were underway to reach a new agreement focused on freeing hostages from the conflict zone. “We’re working now on another deal that we hope will succeed, and we’re committed to getting all the hostages out,” he said.
Trump reiterated his intention for the United States to play a central role in managing the future of Gaza, calling it a “great piece of real estate,” a vision he first outlined during Netanyahu’s previous visit in February.
Earlier that day, Trump greeted Netanyahu outside the West Wing, pumping his fist as the two leaders—both dressed in matching dark suits, white shirts, and red ties—headed into the Oval Office.
Although a full press conference had been scheduled, it was abruptly canceled without explanation. However, both leaders held a detailed conversation with a smaller group of pool reporters.
This marked Netanyahu’s second visit to the White House since Trump returned to office. It came just days after Trump announced a 17 percent tariff on Israeli imports as part of his “Liberation Day” declaration, a move that shocked some observers.
Despite Israel being the leading recipient of U.S. military aid, Trump declined to make an exception for the country, citing America’s trade imbalance with Israel.
Upon arriving in the U.S., Netanyahu met with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Sunday evening. The following day, he held discussions with Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.
{Matzav.com}