The Times of Israel is liveblogging Monday’s events as they unfold.

After US President Trump made a surprise announcement that the United States and Iran are poised to begin direct talks on Tehran’s nuclear program, a senior Iranian official says any negotiations will be indirect, with Oman acting as intermediary.

In a further sign of the difficult path ahead to any deal between the two geopolitical foes, Trump issued a stark warning that if the talks are unsuccessful, “Iran is going to be in great danger.”

Iran had pushed back against Trump’s demands in recent weeks that it directly negotiate over its nuclear program or be bombed, and it appears to be sticking to that position, saying it agreed only to mediated talks, likely to be held in Oman.

A senior Iranian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, tells Reuters: “The talks will not be direct … It will be with Oman’s mediation.” Oman, which maintains good relations with both the US and Iran, has been a longtime channel for messages between the rival states.

Iran’s Nournews, affiliated with the country’s top security body, describes Trump’s statement about a planned direct meeting as part of a “psychological operation aimed at influencing domestic and international public opinion.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting US Vice President JD Vance at Blair House, Netanyahu’s office says.

The meeting comes after US President Donald Trump announced that the US would be talking with Iran this weekend directly.

In response to a question about whether he plans to reduce the 17% tariffs he imposed on Israel, US President Donald Trump declined to commit to removing them.

“Well, we’re talking about a whole new trade — maybe not,” he said. “Maybe not.”

“Don’t forget, we help Israel a lot,” Trump said, as Netanyahu listened beside him to the implied criticism. “We give Israel $4 billion a year, that’s a lot.”

“We give Israel billions of dollars a year. Billions. It’s one of the highest of anyone. We give a lot of countries money, you wouldn’t believe it.”

“We take good care of our friends, and we don’t take care of our enemies,” he said.

More from US President Donald Trump’s Oval Office meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu:

Trump said the United States military campaign against the Houthis in Yemen has been “very successful militarily.”

“We’ve really damaged them,” he said, adding that “it’s every night, night after night, and we’ve gotten many of their leaders and their experts.”

“It’s been a bad three weeks for the Houthis,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth added, “and it’s about to get worse.”

He said the US has destroyed underground facilities, weapons manufacturing sites, bunkers, troops and air defense assets.

“We are not going to relent,” said Hegseth, “and it’s only going to be more unrelenting until the Houthis declare they will stop shooting at our ships.”

He added that the US has been “very clear” to the Iranians that they must stop providing support........

© The Times of Israel