Netanyahu to meet Trump amid Iran war disagreements

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with US President Donald Trump at the White House, marking their first face-to-face discussion since the commencement of the Iran war. The leaders have publicly differed on aspects of the conflict, though both have recently worked to de-escalate tensions in their relationship.

The meeting is anticipated to heavily feature the ongoing war, which began in late February with US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Washington has stated its intention to allow diplomatic negotiations a chance to succeed. Israel has not directly participated in the latest hostilities between the US and Iran, which escalated earlier this month after a fragile ceasefire collapsed in April.

This encounter will be the eighth meeting between Netanyahu and Trump since Trump returned to office, and their first in-person talks since the war began. Netanyahu described the meeting as a "great privilege" and a "great responsibility," stating his intention to discuss all agenda items, "first and foremost Iran." He added, "Naturally, our goal is to safeguard our security and also to expand the circle of peace around us."

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This is a great privilege, but it is also a great responsibility. We will discuss all the issues on the agenda, first and foremost Iran. Naturally, our goal is to safeguard our security and also to expand the circle of peace around us.

Upon arrival in Washington, Netanyahu attended a private memorial dinner for the late Senator Lindsey Graham and is scheduled to attend Graham's memorial service. Relations between the two leaders reportedly reached a low in April during ceasefire negotiations with Iran, marked by Trump's strong criticism of Netanyahu. Trump later characterized Netanyahu as a "very difficult guy" in an interview. Netanyahu, however, downplayed these exchanges as "tactical disagreements," asserting alignment on the war's ultimate goals.

Beyond the Iran war, the leaders are expected to discuss the implementation of a US-sponsored framework deal signed by Israel and Lebanon last month, which has faced practical challenges. The talks will also likely address the dire humanitarian situation and stalled reconstruction efforts in Gaza, nearly three years after the war between Israel and Hamas began. International relations expert Yonatan Freeman believes a key objective of the visit is to publicly reaffirm the strong alliance between the US and Israel, countering any perception of a rift.

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I think that the main issue… is to show the world, to show Iran, and also even Lebanon and others… that there is no break or any kind of major disagreement between the United States and Israel.