U.S. President Donald Trump announced the start of direct talks with Iran regarding its nuclear program. Trump made the statement during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office.
According to him, a “very big meeting” is scheduled for Saturday. However, he did not provide further details about what kind of meeting it would be.
“We are holding direct talks with Iran, and they have already begun. They will take place on Saturday. We have a very big meeting, and we’ll see what might happen,” the American president said.
He also added that he is convinced “everyone agrees that reaching an agreement would be the best outcome.” In addition, Trump expressed optimism that the negotiations would be successful and would persuade Iran to abandon its nuclear program.
“I hope these talks will be successful… If the negotiations with Iran are not successful, I think Iran will be in great danger,” he said.
According to CNN sources, the meeting between American and Iranian officials is being organized by Oman.
However, the source could not confirm who will participate or at what level. It is believed that Trump’s special envoy for Middle East affairs, Steve Witkoff, may be involved.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated on Monday that the U.S. and Iran will hold “high-level indirect talks” in Oman on Saturday.
“This is both an opportunity and a test. The ball is in America’s court,” he said.
The last direct high-level talks between the U.S. and Iran took place in 2015, when then-U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and then-Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif worked to finalize the nuclear deal. As recently as Saturday, Iran had rejected the possibility of direct talks with the United States on its nuclear program as “meaningless.”
