Trump says talks with Iran will continue to see whether deal can be consummated

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said that US-Iran talks will continue to see whether a deal can be consummated, shortly after his closed-door meeting with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Wednesday.

"I have just finished meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, of Israel, and various of his Representatives," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

"There was nothing definitive reached other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a Deal can be consummated," Trump said. "If it can, I let the Prime Minister know that will be a preference. If it cannot, we will just have to see what the outcome will be."

He added that the two leaders discussed the progress being made in Gaza and the region in general.

Netanyahu arrived at the White House in a vehicle via the South Lawn on Wednesday morning and left without a press conference or a statement issued.

The meeting, their seventh since the start of Trump's second term, reportedly lasted roughly three hours.

Before the meeting, Netanyahu met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and formally signed up as a member of the "Board of Peace." The initiative is controversial in Israel's parliament, Fox News reported.

Ahead of his trip to Washington, Netanyahu told reporters: "I will present to the president our concept regarding the principles of the negotiations (on Iran) -- the essential principles that are important not only to Israel but to anyone who wants peace and security in the Middle East."

Netanyahu's office has said that the prime minister wants the talks to include limits on Iran's ballistic missile program and cut Iran's ties with militant groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

Trump said Tuesday in an interview with Fox Business Network that "it's got to be a good deal. No nuclear weapons, no missiles."

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said at celebrations in Tehran for the 47th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution on Wednesday that a "wall of distrust" created by the West is hindering nuclear talks with the United States, vowing that Iran will never surrender to excessive demands and aggression.

Also on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi told Russia Today that he believes Iran and the United States can strike a nuclear deal better than the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action signed in July 2015, while reiterating that Iran will not negotiate on its missile program or regional alliances.

Washington and Tehran held their indirect talks on Friday in the Omani capital of Muscat amid simmering tensions between the two sides and a US military buildup near Iran.

On Tuesday, Trump said he is considering sending a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East for possible military actions against Iran if negotiations fail.