President Donald Trump said the U.S. would hold top level ‘direct’ talks with Iran – while brandishing new threats and repeating demands that Iran could not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.
‘We’re having direct talks with Iran. And they’ve started,’ Trump told reporters while seated in the Oval Office next to Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, himself a top Iran hawk.
Trump said the meeting would take place Saturday, but refused to divulge where.
‘We’ll see what can happen,’ he said.
‘All I can tell you is there’s a major meeting going on,’ Trump said when pressed, adding that it would be ‘top level.’
The stakes are high. The U.S. has avoided such direct talks for years. The Iran nuclear deal, which Trump scuttled after it was put in place under Barack Obama, was negotiated through multi-party talks.
President Trump revealed that the U.S. would hold direct talks with Iran on Saturday
Asked about the consequence if Iran refuses to give up its nuclear program, Trump responded: ‘I think if the talks aren’t successful with Iran, I think Iran is going to be in great danger.’
‘Because they can’t have a nuclear weapon. It’s not a complicated formula. Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon,’ Trump said.
‘If the talks aren’t successful, I actually think it’ll be a very bad day for Iran if that’s the case.’
