Trump and Netanyahu take a victory lap to mark strikes on Iran nuclear facilities
Trump indicated anew that Iranian officials have reached out to the U.S. to schedule talks about Iran's nuclear program. Negotiations had started in April but were scuttled after Israel began its operations last month.
'We have scheduled Iran talks, and they want to,' Trump told reporters. 'They want to talk.' He said last week that the talks would restart soon.
Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, sitting at the table with Trump, said the meeting would be soon, perhaps in a week.
Tehran has yet to confirm that it has agreed to restart talks with the U.S.
But Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian in an interview published Monday said the U.S. airstrikes so badly damaged his country's nuclear facilities that Iranian authorities still have not been able to access them to survey the destruction.
Pezeshkian added in the interview with conservative American broadcaster Tucker Carlson that Iran would be willing to resume cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog but cannot yet commit to allowing its inspectors unfettered access to monitor the sites.
'We stand ready to have such supervision,' Pezeshkian said. 'Unfortunately, as a result of the United States' unlawful attacks against our nuclear centers and installations, many of the pieces of equipment and the facilities there have been severely damaged.'
Pushing for a new ceasefire proposal in Gaza
Trump has made clear that following last month's 12-day war between Israel and Iran he would like to see the Gaza conflict end soon. The meeting between Trump and Netanyahu may give new urgency to a U.S. ceasefire proposal being discussed by Israel and Hamas.
White House officials are urging Israel and Hamas to quickly seal a new ceasefire agreement that would bring about a 60-day pause in the fighting, send aid flooding into Gaza and free at least some of the remaining 50 hostages held in the territory, 20 of whom are believed to be living.
Leavitt announced Monday that Witkoff will travel later this week to Doha, Qatar, for ceasefire and hostage talks.
But a sticking point is whether the ceasefire will end the war altogether. Hamas has said it is willing to free all the hostages in exchange for an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Netanyahu says the war will end once Hamas surrenders, disarms and goes into exile — something it refuses to do.
'We'll work out a peace with our Palestinian neighbors, those that don't want to destroy us,' Netanyahu said. "We'll work out a peace in which our security, the sovereign power of security, always remains in our hands.'
Trump has been pressuring Israel and Hamas to wrap up the conflict, which has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, ravaged Gaza, deepened Israel's international isolation and made any resolution to the broader conflict between Israel and the Palestinians more distant than ever.
But the precise details of the deal are still in flux. In the days before Netanyahu's visit, Trump seemed to downplay the chances for a breakthrough.
Asked Friday how confident he was a ceasefire deal would come together, Trump told reporters, 'I'm very optimistic — but you know, look, it changes from day to day.'
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