(Patria) - President Donald Trump said last night that the United States and Iran are beginning direct talks on Tehran's nuclear program, a surprising announcement after Iranian officials rejected US calls for such talks, Reuters reported.
Iran rejected Trump's demands to negotiate directly on its nuclear program or be bombed, although it initially left the door open for indirect discussions.
"We are having direct talks with Iran, and they have started. It will be on Saturday. We have a very big meeting and we'll see what can happen," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office during talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was visiting.
"And I think everyone agrees that a deal would be better," Trump said.
Trump declined to say where the talks would take place.
Trump's warnings of military action against Iran have heightened tense relations across the Middle East following open warfare in Gaza and Lebanon, military strikes on Yemen, leadership changes in Syria, and Israeli-Iranian mutual attacks.
Trump said he would prefer a deal on Iran's nuclear program over military confrontation and said on March 7 that he had written to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to propose talks. Iranian officials said at the time that Tehran would not be forced into negotiations.
During his first term (2017-2021), Trump withdrew the US from the 2015 deal between Iran and world powers designed to curb Iran's sensitive nuclear work in exchange for sanctions relief. Trump then reimposed harsh US sanctions on Iran.
Since then, Iran has far exceeded the deal's limits on uranium enrichment. Western powers accuse Iran of having a secret agenda to develop nuclear weapons capabilities by enriching uranium to high levels of fissile purity, above what they say is necessary for a civilian atomic energy program. Tehran says its nuclear program is for civilian energy purposes.
Like US presidents before him, Trump says Iran cannot be allowed to develop nuclear weapons. He told reporters that Saturday's talks with Iran would be at a very high level and raised the possibility that a deal could be reached.
"We have a very big meeting on Saturday and we are dealing with them directly," Trump said.
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