The closed-door meeting at the White House lasted around 90 minutes. The talks came as both leaders sought to move past recent public disagreements over the Iran war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday called his first face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump since the Iran war began as “one of the best conversations I’ve ever had”, saying the two leaders agreed on the need to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
The closed-door meeting at the White House lasted around 90 minutes. According to the White House, the discussions were “positive and productive”. The meeting came as both leaders sought to move past recent public disagreements over the Iran conflict.
“We discussed our common goal: ensuring that Iran does not obtain nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu said in a video message after the talks.
Iran tops agenda
Photos shared by Netanyahu’s office showed the two leaders smiling in the Oval Office, joined by Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The meeting came as fighting between the US and Iran has paused, with Washington saying it wants to give diplomacy a chance. Israel has not participated in the latest round of hostilities between the US and Iran after an April ceasefire collapsed.
The White House also confirmed that Trump separately met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier in the day, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt describing both meetings as “positive and productive.”
Tensions between Trump and Netanyahu
Despite Tuesday’s warm public remarks, relations between Trump and Netanyahu had come under strain in recent months.
In April, during discussions over an Iran ceasefire, Trump reportedly criticised Netanyahu in private and later called him in an interview as “a very difficult guy.” Ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, Trump also expressed annoyance over reports that details of Netanyahu’s planned talking points on Iran had been leaked.