Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters on Monday that he and the Trump administration were working on securing a new hostage deal.
“The hostages are in agony. We want to get them all out. Steve Witkoff is President Trump’s very able representative. (He) helped us get a deal that got 25 out,” Netanyahu said after his meeting with US President Donald Trump.
“We’re working now on another deal, that we hope will succeed.”
Trump added that the United States and Iran were beginning direct talks on Tehran’s nuclear program, a surprise announcement after Iranian officials had appeared to rebuff US calls for such negotiations.
Iran had pushed back against Trump’s demands that it directly negotiate over its nuclear program or be bombed, though it had initially left the door open to indirect discussions.
President Trump Participates in a Bilateral Meeting with the Prime Minister of Israel, Apr. 7, 2025 https://t.co/V4Ut70MGse
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 7, 2025
‘A Deal would be prefereable’
“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,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office during talks with Netanyahu.
“And I think everybody agrees that doing a deal would be preferable,” Trump said. He did not elaborate.
He then went on to say that if talks did not go well, Iran would be in a precarious situation.
“I think if the talks aren’t successful with Iran, I think Iran’s going to be in great danger,” Trump said. “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and if the talks aren’t successful I actually think it will be a very bad day for Iran.”
Warnings by Trump of military action against Iran had jangled already tense nerves across the Middle East after open warfare in Gaza and Lebanon, military strikes on Yemen, a change of leadership in Syria and Israeli-Iranian exchanges of fire.
Trump has said he would prefer a deal over Iran’s nuclear program to a military confrontation and he said on March 7 he had written to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to suggest talks. Iranian officials said at the time that Tehran would not be bullied into negotiations.
The two also discussed the ongoing war in Gaza, the hostages, the Iranian threat, and tariffs.
Jesus Christ is King
