The Trump administration is turning its attention to the Middle East this week, with another round of high-profile meetings between U.S. and Iranian officials set to take place in Switzerland.
President Donald Trump has warned that if no nuclear deal is reached with Iran, the outcome will be “very traumatic” for the nation. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in Europe over the weekend ahead of the talks and called the ongoing negotiations "complicated."
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"We're dealing with radical Shia clerics," Rubio said. "We're dealing with people who make political decisions, geopolitical decisions on the basis of pure theology. And it's a complicated thing. No one has ever been able to do a successful deal with Iran, but we're going to try."
The scheduled talks follow President Trump’s order last week to send the USS Gerald Ford to the Middle East. The president described deploying the Navy's newest and most advanced aircraft carrier as a precaution “in case we don't make a deal.”
Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Trump at the White House. Over the weekend, he reiterated his demands for any proposed deal with Iran.
"First is that all enriched material has to leave Iran," Netanyahu said.
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President Trump also appears focused on another issue in the region: rebuilding Gaza. On his Truth Social platform, he announced he will again meet this week in Washington with his so-called Board of Peace members to reveal which nations have pledged more than $5 billion toward Gaza reconstruction.
"Very importantly, Hamas must uphold its commitment to Full and Immediate Demilitarization," he said. "The Board of Peace will prove to be the most consequential International Body in History, and it is my honor to serve as its Chairman."
