Trump says US has 'scheduled Iran talks'

WASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States will hold talks with Iran.

"We have scheduled Iran talks, and they want to talk," Trump told reporters along with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.

"They've requested a meeting...and if we can put something down on paper, that will be fine. It'll be good," he said, adding: "We'll see what happens."

Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said the meeting will take place in the "next week or so."

Asked about what might make him "have the desire" to carry out another strike on Iran, Trump said: "I hope we're not going to have to do that. I can't imagine wanting to do that. I can't imagine them wanting to do that. They want to meet...they want to work something out."

On June 22, US B-2 bombers dropped 14 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bombs, also known as bunker busters, on Iran’s Fordo and Natanz nuclear sites and dozens of submarine-based Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired at its nuclear facility at Isfahan as part of Washington’s campaign against Iran’s nuclear program.

A sixth round of talks between the US and Iran was scheduled on June 15, but Israel launched airstrikes on Iranian military, nuclear and civilian sites June 13.

The 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran ended with a US-sponsored ceasefire that took effect June 24.

Trump says he would like to remove Iran sanctions 'at the right time'

Trump said Iran is "very different now" than it was two weeks ago.

"I hope it's over. Yeah, I think Iran wants to meet. I think they want to make peace, and I'm all for it," he said.

Turning to Syria, he said the US lifted sanctions on the country at the request of a lot of countries in the Middle East.

"We took the sanctions off (Syria) because we want to give them a chance," he said.

The president highlighted that he would like to remove tough US "biting" sanctions on Iran "at the right time."

"I would love to be able to, at the right time, take those sanctions off (Iran), give them a chance at rebuilding, because I'd like to see Iran build itself back up in a peaceful manner and not going around saying, 'Death to America,' 'Death to the USA,' 'Death to Israel,' as they were doing," he said.