Washington — On Monday, President Trump announced that the United States would begin direct engagement with Iran.
Mr. Trump stated during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that “we’re having direct talks with Iran,” which will begin on Saturday. “We have a very big meeting, and we’ll see what can happen,” he joked. The president stated that if direct talks fail, Iran will be “in great danger.”
Hours later, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi confirmed that talks were scheduled for Saturday in Oman, but referred to them as “indirect high-level talks.”
“It’s equal parts opportunity and test. “The ball is in America’s court,” he posted on social media.
Tasnim, an Iranian news agency, later reported that Araghchi would lead Tehran’s delegation and negotiate with US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff via a mediator.
Mr. Trump’s meeting with Netanyahu came as the president’s new tariffs on Israel and the rest of the world were set to take effect on Wednesday. The United States is set to impose 17% tariffs on Israeli imports beginning Wednesday. Other nations are also scrambling to reverse Mr. Trump’s tariffs.
Netanyahu said he told Trump that Israel would soon address its trade deficit with the United States.
“I can tell you that I said to the president, a very simple thing — we will eliminate the trade deficit with the United States,” Netanyahu recounted. “We intend to complete it very quickly. We believe it is the right thing to do. We’re also going to remove trade barriers.”
Still, Mr. Trump has not indicated that he is ready to eliminate tariffs on Israeli imports.
“Well, we’re talking about a whole new trade—maybe not, maybe not,” Mr. Trump said in response to a reporter’s question. “Don’t forget, we help Israel a lot.”
The Nasdaq, S&P 500, and Dow Jones were whipsawing on Monday following two consecutive days of losses last week, the stock market’s largest two-day drop since the pandemic in March 2020.
A reporter asked the president if he was considering pausing tariffs to ease market turmoil.
“Well, we’re not looking into that,” the president responded. “We have many, many countries that are coming to negotiate deals with us, and they’re going to be fair deals.”
The president stated of the tariffs he is imposing, “No other president will do what I am doing.”
However, he left open the possibility of some countries lowering their tariffs. “There can also be negotiations,” Mr. Trump stated.
The White House abruptly and without explanation canceled a scheduled joint news conference with Mr. Trump and Netanyahu just before the Israeli leader arrived.
Trump, Netanyahu to meet about tariffs, Israel-Gaza conflict
Ahead of the Netanyahu meeting, Mr. Trump spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron, Egyptian President Fattah al-Sisi, and Jordan’s King Abdullah, according to a Jordanian official.
This is Netanyahu’s second visit to the White House since President Trump took office in January. Netanyahu also paid a visit to Donald Trump in early February. Since Mr. Trump and Netanyahu’s last meeting, the fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel has broken. Israel has since resumed its military offensive in the Gaza Strip.
The president’s decision to impose tariffs on both friends and foes is not only roiling markets, but also jeopardizing the United States’ relationships with traditional allies. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that the old US-Canada relationship is “over” and that Canada must “dramatically reduce” its reliance on the United States.