Trump Announces Direct Talks with Iran During Meeting with Netanyahu

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – President Donald Trump announced on Monday that the United States and Iran were holding direct talks on Tehran’s nuclear program, marking a surprising development after earlier signals from Iranian officials seemed to reject U.S. proposals for such negotiations.

Trump sent an ultimatum to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which Iranian officials initially dismissed. However, Trump’s recent announcement and his preference for diplomacy suggest a shift in Iranian policy, leading to direct negotiations.

“We’re having direct talks with Iran, and they’ve started. It’ll go on Saturday. We have a very big meeting, and we’ll see what can happen,” Trump said during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office.

Trump preferred diplomacy over conflict, emphasizing the importance of reaching an agreement with Iran.

“I think everybody agrees that doing a deal would be preferable to doing the obvious. 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,” he stated, clearly hinting at the undesirable alternative of military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities. “So we’ll see if we can avoid it… It’s getting to be very dangerous territory.”

Trump expressed optimism about the upcoming discussions, suggesting a successful outcome would greatly benefit Iran. “Maybe a deal’s going to be made; that would be great. It would be really great for Iran… We are meeting very importantly on Saturday, at almost the highest level,” he noted.

When asked how his potential deal with Iran would differ from the 2015 JCPOA he previously withdrew, Trump responded: “It’ll be different and maybe a lot stronger.”

Regarding the consequences if the talks do not succeed, Trump warned, “Iran will be in great danger.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, moments before Trump announced that the US is engaging in direct talks with Iran regarding its contentious nuclear program, expressed cautious backing for the initiative.
“We’re both united in the goal that Iran does not get nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu stated alongside the president in the Oval Office. “If it can be done diplomatically, in a comprehensive manner, similar to the approach taken in Libya, I think that would be a good thing.”

Amidst ongoing warfare in Gaza and Lebanon, military strikes in Yemen, a leadership transition in Syria, and skirmishes between Israel and Iran, tensions in the Middle East have intensified. Trump’s threats of military action against Iran have compounded these tensions. Recently, the Pentagon has significantly bolstered its regional military presence, deploying multiple carrier groups and increasing the number of fighter jets, bombers, and support aircraft, all strategically positioned near Iran.

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