Washington—President Trump announced Monday that the U.S. would begin direct engagement with Iran.
During a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mr. Trump said that “we’re having direct talks with Iran,” beginning Saturday. “We have a very big meeting, and we’ll see what can happen,” he said.
The meeting with Netanyahu is taking place as new tariffs Mr. Trump is levying on Israel and the rest of the world are about to go into effect.
Netanyahu said that Israel would “eliminate” the trade deficit with the U.S., and also other “trade barriers.”
“I can tell you that I said to the president, a very simple thing — we will eliminate the trade deficit with the United States. We intend to do it every quickly,” Netanyahu said. “We think it’s the right thing to do. And we’re also going to eliminate trade barriers.”
The president said the two had lunch and meetings, telling reporters, “I think we’ve come up to some pretty good solutions and conclusions.”
“This is a quick stop, in and out, but we appreciate you being here,” the president said to Netanyahu, adding he’s “by far” the best president Israel has ever seen.
The White House canceled a scheduled afternoon news conference abruptly and without explanation ahead of Netanyahu’s arrival.
Trump, Netanyahu to meet about tariffs, Israel-Gaza conflict
Mr. Trump and Netanyahu are expected to discuss the latest Israeli military operations in Gaza and new U.S. tariffs announced by Mr. Trump against Israel and other countries.
The Nasdaq, S&P 500 and Dow Jones are whipsawing Monday after two consecutive days of losses last week, the biggest two-day drop of the stock market since the pandemic in March 2020.
Netanyahu, like other world leaders, hopes to save his country from the new tariffs Mr. Trump is imposing, even as conflict in the Middle East continues and hostages remain in the hands of Hamas. The U.S. is set to impose 17% tariffs on imports from Israel, effective Wednesday.
Ahead of the Netanyahu meeting, Mr. Trump held a joint phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, Egyptian President Fattah al-Sisi and King Abdullah of Jordan, according to a Jordanian official.
It’s Netanyahu’s second visit to the White House since Mr. Trump took office in January. Netanyahu also visited Mr. Trump in early February. Since Mr. Trump and Netanyahu last met, the fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel has broken. Israel has since renewed its military offensive in the Gaza Strip.
The president’s decision to levy tariffs on friends and foes alike is not only roiling the markets, but setting the United States’ relationships with traditional allies on unsure footing. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, for instance, said the old U.S.-Canada relationship is “over” and Canada will need to “dramatically reduce” its reliance on the U.S.
