US in direct nuclear talks with Iran, Trump says

The US and Iran will hold “direct talks” over a possible nuclear deal on Saturday, according to American President Donald Trump.

The meeting was also confirmed by Iran’s foreign minister, who said the talks would be “indirect” but could be “as much an opportunity as… a test.”

Trump—who unilaterally pulled the US out of a previous nuclear deal with Iran during his first presidency—said the discussions would be at a “very high level” and warned it would be a “very bad day for Iran” if no agreement was reached.

Last month, Trump raised the possibility of military action against Iran after its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, publicly rejected the offer of direct talks.

Trump disclosed the talks after a White House meeting with Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, who has also previously raised the prospect of attacking Iran to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said: “We have a very big meeting on Saturday [with Iran], and we’re dealing with them directly… And maybe a deal is going to be made, that would be great.”

He later added that Iran would be in “great danger” if the talks were not successful: “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and if the talks aren’t successful, I actually think it’ll be a very bad day for Iran.”

The president did not provide further details about the talks, including how progressed they are or which officials are involved.

Iran’s foreign minister confirmed Washington and Tehran will meet in Oman on 12 April. Abbas Araqchi wrote on X: “It is as much an opportunity as it is a test. The ball is in America’s court.”

In March, Trump sent a letter to Iran’s leader via an intermediary from the United Arab Emirates expressing his willingness to negotiate. Though initially rejected, Iran later signaled openness to a possible deal via a third party.

Curbing Iran’s ability to build nuclear weapons has been a long-standing foreign policy goal for the US and its allies.

In 2015, then-President Barack Obama brokered a deal requiring Iran to limit its nuclear activities and allow international inspections in exchange for sanctions relief. The agreement was co-signed by China, France, Germany, Russia, and the UK.

However, in 2018, Trump withdrew the US from the agreement, which he had criticized during his campaign. Since then, Iran has increasingly violated the deal’s terms, with the International Atomic Energy Agency warning of significant enriched uranium stockpiles.

Recently, Trump has floated the idea of a new agreement with Iran, while also threatening military action if diplomacy fails.

Israel, a key US ally, views preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon as crucial to its security. It has reportedly considered striking Iranian nuclear facilities and last year said it targeted one in retaliation for a missile attack.

Speaking at the White House, Netanyahu said: “We and the United States are both united in the goal that Iran does not ever get nuclear weapons. If it can be done diplomatically in a full way, the way it was done in Libya, I think that would be a good thing.”

Credit: BBC