Donald Trump has said the US is having direct talks with Iran over its nuclear programme – stating Iran will be in “great danger” if the negotiations fail.
The president has insisted Tehran cannot get nuclear weapons.
Iran had pushed back against Trump’s demand that it enter negotiations over its nuclear programme or be bombed, but speaking at the White House on Monday, Mr Trump said: “We’re having direct talks with Iran, and they’ve started.
“It’ll go on Saturday,” he continued. “We have a very big meeting, and we’ll see what can happen. And I think everybody agrees that doing a deal would be preferable.”
When pressed for more details on the talks, the US president said they are taking place “at almost the highest level”. He would not be drawn on where the meeting this weekend is taking place.
“Hopefully those talks will be successful, it would be in Iran’s best interests if they are successful,” he said. “We hope that’s going to happen.”
Mr Trump made the comments to reporters during an Oval Office meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump in the Oval Office. Pic: Reuters
Mr Trump’s previous warnings of possible military action against Iran heightened already tense nerves across the Middle East.
He has said he would prefer a deal over military confrontation and in March wrote to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to suggest talks. Iranian officials at the time said Tehran would not be bullied into negotiations.
Mr Trump welcoming Mr Netanyahu to the White House. Pic: AP
During his first White House term, Mr Trump withdrew the US from a deal between Iran and world powers designed to curb Iran’s nuclear work in exchange for sanctions relief.
He also reimposed US sanctions.
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Iran has since far surpassed that deal’s limits on uranium enrichment.
Tehran insists its nuclear programme is wholly for civilian energy purposes but Western powers accuse it of having a clandestine agenda.
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Mr Netanyahu’s White House visit – his second in just over two months – was also due to include a news conference but this was cancelled earlier on Monday.
Officials said the decision was made because he and Mr Trump had “two back-to-back media availabilities (the greeting in the Oval Office and the formal news conference), and they wanted to streamline things”.
