Trump says US engaging in direct talks with Iran over nuclear program

President Donald Trump said Monday that the US is engaged in "very high-level" talks with Iran over Tehran's nuclear program, saying the negotiations are "in Iran's best interests."

Trump has repeatedly threatened to pursue military action against Tehran if a deal cannot be made, and repeated the threats again Monday, saying Tehran "is going to be in great danger" if the talks fail.

Iran had previously ruled out having direct negotiations with Washington, but held the door open to indirect discussions via an intermediary. That appears to have changed in the interim, with Trump saying the nations have agreed to engage directly with a first round of senior-level talks to take place this weekend.

"We're having direct talks with Iran, and they've started. It'll go on Saturday. We have a very big meeting, and we'll see what can happen. And I think everybody agrees that doing a deal would be preferable to doing the obvious. And the obvious is not something that I want to be involved with," the president told reporters as he hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.

"Now we're dealing with them directly. And maybe a deal is going to be made, that'd be great, it'll be really great for Iran," he added.

The talks, if they proceed, would mark the first direct negotiations between Washington and Tehran since the signing of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the nuclear deal, which was brokered between world powers and Iran, in 2018, and reimposed sanctions on Tehran in what he calls a "maximum pressure campaign."

Despite complying with the nuclear agreement for over a year after the US withdrawal, Iran gradually reduced its commitments, citing the failure of the deal's remaining signatories to protect its interests.