President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States must reach a “meaningful deal” with Iran, warning of consequences if diplomacy fails, as indirect talks between the two countries continue in Geneva.
“Good talks are being had. It’s proven to be, over the years, not easy to make a meaningful deal with Iran,” Trump said at the first meeting of his Board of Peace in Washington. “We have to make a meaningful deal, otherwise bad things happen.”
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The inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington
(Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
“Now is the time for Iran to join us on a path to peace,” he added.
Indirect discussions were held Tuesday in Geneva between U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, aimed at defusing escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran.
The United States is pressing Iran to give up its nuclear program. Tehran has repeatedly refused and denies it is seeking to develop an atomic weapon.
Iran is expected to submit a written proposal addressing U.S. concerns during the Geneva talks, a senior U.S. official told Reuters on Wednesday.
Trump’s remarks came during the inaugural session of the Donald Trump Peace Center in Washington, recently renamed for the president, where he convened a newly established Board of Peace tasked with overseeing the reconstruction and demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.
“We are committed to achieving a Gaza that is properly governed,” Trump said. He added that he does not believe it will be necessary “to send soldiers to fight,” and said it “looks like Hamas will be getting rid of their weapons, but we have to find out.”
Trump said he envisions Gaza as “no longer a hotbed of radicalism and terror.”
He said more than $7 billion has been contributed toward Gaza relief efforts and that the UN humanitarian assistance office is raising $2 billion to support reconstruction. The United States will contribute $10 million to the Board of Peace, he said.
Trump also said China and Russia “will be involved” in reconstruction efforts, and that FIFA would help raise $75 million for soccer-related projects in Gaza.
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Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar (right) and Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the Board of Peace meeting
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar attended the meeting, representing Israel in place of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who declined to participate in a joint appearance with representatives of Qatar and Turkey. Both countries sent their foreign ministers to the gathering. Sa’ar was seen standing next to Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani during the event.