Trump hosts Netanyahu as allies diverge on Iran war goals ahead of elections
The US president, facing political heat and rising fuel prices, pushed for a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while the Israeli premier pressed for further strikes on Tehran's nuclear program ahead of October elections.
US President Donald Trump met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday for their first one-on-one talks since a joint attack on Iran on February 28. Media were barred from the room. Later both attended the funeral of Senator Lindsay Graham at the Washington National Cathedral alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
- US and Israel launch a joint attack on Iran.
- Israel withdraws from direct combat after an approved ceasefire.
- Washington and Tehran sign a preliminary truce, but fighting soon resumes.
- Hostilities are halted again, days before the Trump-Netanyahu meeting.
- Trump and Netanyahu meet at the White House for the first time since the war began.
A fractured alliance
Netanyahu last visited Washington in January 2026. Since then the war has reshaped US-Israeli coordination. Israel withdrew from direct combat after an April ceasefire, while the US and Iran continued sporadic exchanges. A preliminary truce was signed in June but broke down; fighting resumed and was halted again only days ago. Neither the destruction of Iran's nuclear capability nor regime change, the original aims, has been achieved, the Times of Israel noted.
Diverging priorities
Israeli media reported that Netanyahu intended to share new intelligence on Iran's nuclear program with Trump during the meeting. The US president was openly dismissive before the talks.
Bibi doesn't need to tell me about it. He's telling me about it because he wants me to remain engaged.
Trump added that he "knows exactly" about the reports. According to the Times of Israel, previous Netanyahu presentations on Iran's nuclear advances were instrumental in convincing Trump to launch the attack, and many Americans now believe the Israeli leader dragged the US into the conflict.
Domestic calculations
The meeting was the eighth between the two leaders since Trump's second term began in January 2025, yet the political calculus for each has shifted dramatically. Israel holds parliamentary elections at the end of October, and Netanyahu is seeking a decisive confrontation he can frame as victory. The Times of Israel reported that Trump, by contrast, is focused on securing a deal with Iran that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and drive down fuel prices before American voters head to the polls this autumn.
Both leaders face elections in the coming months, and their positions on Iran appear increasingly divergent.
The newspaper added that while destroying the Iranian nuclear program remains paramount for Israel, Trump's immediate concern is easing economic pressure at home.
A tense reception
Reuters reported that Trump did not hide his irritation with Netanyahu ahead of the visit. For the first time, the Israeli prime minister traveled without a press contingent aboard his flight. Propalestinian demonstrators lined his motorcade route through Washington, and protests by anti-Netanyahu Israelis were also planned.
