Israel’s prime minister has nominated Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Benjamin Netanyahu made the announcement at a White House dinner, handing over the letter for the US president to read.
“Coming from you in particular, this is very meaningful,” Mr Trump said.
The Israeli leader said Mr Trump was “forging peace as we speak, and one country and one region after the other”.
Organisers award the prize to the person who does the most for “fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses”.
Pic: AP
Mr Trump took credit for stopping Iran and Israel‘s “12-day war” last month, announcing it with fanfare on Truth Social, and the ceasefire has so far held.
The president has claimed US strikes obliterated Iran’s purported nuclear weapons programme – and that the country now wants to restart negotiations.
“We have scheduled Iran talks, and they want to,” Mr Trump told reporters on Monday. “They want to talk.”
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Iran hasn’t confirmed the move, but its president told US broadcaster Tucker Carlson he believes his country can resolve differences with the US through dialogue.
Masoud Pezeshkian also said Iran would be willing to resume cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.
However, he said full access to nuclear sites wasn’t yet possible as US strikes had damaged them so badly.
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Netanyahu arrives in US for ceasefire talks
Away from Iran, fighting continues in Gaza and Ukraine.
Mr Trump famously boasted before his second stint in the White House that he could end the Ukraine war in 24 hours.
The reality has been very different – with Ukraine saying last week that Russia unleashed the heaviest aerial attack of the war so far.
Critics have also claimed Vladimir Putin is “playing” his US counterpart and that he has no intention of agreeing a ceasefire.
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Russia bombards Ukraine with drones and missiles
However, Mr Trump could try to take credit for progress in Gaza if – as he’s suggested – an agreement on a 60-day ceasefire is done this week.
Indirect negotiations with Hamas are taking place that could lead to the release of some of the remaining 50 Israeli hostages and a surge in aid to Gaza.
The White House said Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is travelling to Qatar this week to try to seal the agreement.
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Whether a temporary pause could open a path to a lasting peace remains uncertain, with the two sides’ criteria for peace still far apart.
Mr Netanyahu has said Hamas must surrender, disarm and leave Gaza – something it refuses to do.
He also told reporters on Monday that the US and Israel were working with other countries who would give Palestinians “a better future” – and indicated those in Gaza could move elsewhere.
“If people want to stay, they can stay, but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave,” he added.
“We’ve had great cooperation from… surrounding countries, great cooperation from every single one of them. So something good will happen,” Mr Trump said.
The president was widely criticised earlier this year when he suggested resettling Gaza’s population to countries such as Jordan and Egypt and turning it into the “Riviera of the Middle East”.
Human rights groups said the plan amounted to ethnic cleansing and most Gazans said they would never consider leaving.
Israeli PM nominates Donald Trump for Nobel Peace Prize
