Trump says US to hold direct talks with Iran as Netanyahu visits White House

US President says displacing Palestinians from Gaza will result in 'freedom zone'

President Donald Trump on Monday said that the US and Iran were beginning direct talks on Tehran's nuclear programme, while insisting that the country could never obtain a nuclear weapon. He was speaking from the Oval Office during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“We're having direct talks with Iran, and they've started. It'll go on Saturday, very big meeting, and we'll see what can happen,” he said. “And I think everybody agrees that doing a deal would be preferable.”

While Mr Trump declined to provide details about the location of the talks, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X later on Monday that they would take place in Oman.

In contrast to Mr Trump's claim, however, Mr Araghchi described the coming talks as “indirect”. “It is as much an opportunity as it is a test. The ball is in America's court,” he said.

Mr Netanyahu has in the past expressed sharp criticism of any US-Iran nuclear deal.

The Israeli leader had a “great discussion” with Mr Trump on Iran, as well as the war in Gaza and US tariffs. A planned media conference on Monday afternoon was cancelled but the two spoke from the Oval Office.

“We had great discussions today, I think, on the obvious subject of Iran, and also no less obvious subject with respect to Israel, and that's trade,” Mr Trump said.

Mr Netanyahu is the first foreign leader to meet the US President in Washington since Mr Trump announced the “Liberation Day” tariffs that have sent shock waves through markets around the world. Israel is subject to 17 per cent tariffs on its imports.

US stocks took another trading-session pummelling on Monday after falling last week. Most equities in Middle East markets also slumped after sharp falls in Asia.

Mr Netanyahu said Israel would aim to “eliminate” its trade deficit with the US, and that his country could serve “as a model for many countries”. “We think it's the right thing to do,” he said.

He and Mr Trump also discussed the war in Gaza, after the collapse of a US-brokered ceasefire that was supposed to end the conflict, which is now in its 18th month. Mr Trump said the war would stop “in the not too distant future”.

“We're looking at another ceasefire,” Mr Netanyahu said. “We'll see what happens but we want to get the hostages out.”

This is Mr Netanyahu's second visit to the White House since Mr Trump took office again. During his earlier visit, Mr Trump said the US would “take over” the Gaza Strip and turn it into a tourist resort. He said Palestinians would be displaced to allow for reconstruction and would not be allowed to return.

Mr Netanyahu said that the two leaders discussed which countries could be “amenable” to accepting Palestinians, who would be given a “free choice” to leave the war-torn strip. Mr Trump said that having a US “peace force” controlling and owning the Gaza Strip would be a “good thing”.

“If you take the people, the Palestinians, and move them around to different countries, and you have plenty of countries that will do that, and you really have a freedom zone where people aren't going to be killed every day,” he said.

About 1,400 Palestinians have been killed in the renewed Israeli military operations since the truce was broken. Since the war began in 2023, with a Hamas attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people, more than 50,700 Palestinians have died.

Israel says Hamas and other groups in Gaza are still holding hostages, including at least 24 who are believed to still be alive.

Mr Netanyahu on Monday met Steve Witkoff, US envoy for the Middle East, before his meeting with Mr Trump. Mr Witkoff helped to mediate the ceasefire agreement, and he has blamed Hamas for the renewed Israeli attacks on Gaza, saying the group had “every opportunity” to demilitarise and accept a proposal that would have led to an extended ceasefire.