President Trump announced on Monday that the United States has begun holding direct talks with Iran and that a significant meeting involving top-level officials is scheduled for this Saturday. The unexpected statement came during remarks made from the Oval Office alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Trump described the talks as direct and “at almost the highest level,” suggesting a serious diplomatic initiative underway despite months of heightened tension between Washington and Tehran. While Iran’s leadership, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, had previously ruled out direct negotiations under Trump’s “maximum pressure” sanctions campaign, Trump claimed the dialogue had already begun, although Iran has not confirmed any such discussions.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said, “I think everyone agrees that doing a deal would be preferable to doing the obvious. And the obvious is not something I want to be involved with or frankly, that Israel wants to be involved with, if they can avoid it.” He went on to caution that the situation is becoming increasingly dangerous and expressed hope that the upcoming talks would succeed, suggesting it would be in Iran’s best interest to participate seriously.
Later in the conversation, Trump offered a warning, stating, “If the talks aren’t successful, I think Iran is going to be in great danger. And I hate to say it ‘great danger’ because they can’t have a nuclear weapon. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. That’s all there is.”
Trump declined to share specific details, including who initiated the contact, who would participate in the Saturday meeting, or where the talks would take place.
A senior Israeli official indicated that Netanyahu was skeptical about the likelihood of a new nuclear deal but intended to outline what Israel views as a “good deal” during his visit. According to the official, Netanyahu favors what’s known as the Libya model a complete dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program. Iran continues to deny it seeks to develop nuclear weapons and rejects any suggestion of shutting down its nuclear infrastructure.
The same Israeli official also noted that Netanyahu wants a shared understanding with Trump about taking military action against Iran’s nuclear sites if diplomacy fails.
Meanwhile, the Israeli prime minister also aimed to use his Washington visit to lobby Trump on lifting or reducing the 17% tariffs imposed on Israeli goods, though Trump reportedly rebuffed that effort, keeping the focus on national security and nuclear negotiations.