Netanyahu visits White House for first Trump talks during Iran war

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House on Tuesday for his first in-person meeting with US President Donald Trump since the Iran war began, as the two leaders held closed-door talks dominated by the conflict and regional security.

The meeting, described by the White House as “positive and productive,” lasted about an hour and a half. It came amid a recent pause in the fighting between the US and Iran, with Washington signaling it wants to give negotiations a chance. Israel has not taken part in the latest round of hostilities, which flared earlier this month after an April ceasefire collapsed.

Relations between Trump and Netanyahu reached a low point in April during negotiations on the ceasefire with Iran, with Trump unleashing profanity-laced tirades against his Israeli ally. Trump later described Netanyahu in an interview as a “very difficult guy,” while Netanyahu downplayed the exchanges as “tactical disagreements” that were “drawn out.”

Upon arriving in Washington, Netanyahu attended a private memorial dinner on Monday evening in honor of the late US senator Lindsey Graham, and he was also scheduled to attend Graham’s memorial service later on Tuesday.

Observers suggest that any differences between Trump and Netanyahu concern the means  timeline, intensity, and immediate objectives of operations rather than the ends of the war. Analysts believe Trump would mainly seek to focus on his two regional priorities: Iran and the expansion of the Abraham Accords, the US-brokered normalisation agreements signed during his first term that established formal diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco.

Gaza is seen as less of a priority for Trump, but other observers believe the talks could also address the possible easing of Israel’s military presence elsewhere in the region, such as in Lebanon, Syria, or Gaza. The meeting comes as diplomatic efforts to end the broader conflict continue, with Pakistan and Qatar playing mediation roles between Washington and Tehran.