“I told him this would be inappropriate to do right now because we’re very close to a solution,” Trump said when asked whether he told Netanyahu not to strike Iran in a phone call last week, to avoid jeopardizing nuclear talks with Tehran.
“We’re having very discussions with them,” Trump added. “I told him this would be inappropriate to do right now because we’re very close to a solution.”
Indirect, Oman-mediated talks between Tehran and Washington resumed on April 12, with the fifth and most recent round held on May 23. A sixth round is anticipated in the coming weeks.
“I think they want to make a deal, and if we can make a deal, save a lot of lives,” Trump said.
But Israel has frequently threatened military action against Iran’s nuclear sites. Last week, CNN reported that intelligence indicates that Israel is preparing for potential strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Tehran warned that it would hold Washington accountable for any Israeli military action.
The revived talks between the US and Iran mark the most substantial engagement between the two sides since the collapse of the 2015 nuclear deal - formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) - under which Iran agreed to limit its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.
The agreement unraveled in 2018, when US President Donald Trump, during his first term in office, withdrew the US from the agreement and reimposed sweeping sanctions on Iran. In response, Tehran gradually scaled back its compliance with the deal.
