Trump and Netanyahu Meet After Joint Action on Iran

President Donald Trump held a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, marking their first face-to-face discussion since launching a coordinated strike against Iran in February. This meeting happened just before Trump attended a memorial service for the late Senator Lindsey Graham.

On Tuesday morning, while a service was underway for Graham at the Capitol Rotunda, Netanyahu and Trump met at the White House for around 90 minutes. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described the meeting as “positive and productive,” while Netanyahu referred to it as “excellent and important” in a post on social media.

Interestingly, there seemed to be a bit of tension before their talks. Trump expressed his frustrations to a news outlet regarding reports that Netanyahu intended to discuss Iranian developments at Pickaxe Mountain—a site the U.S. has considered striking.

“I know exactly what’s going on at Pickaxe. It’s not a big problem. We took out their nuclear sites and we’ll have to take out Pickaxe. If we don’t make a deal, we don’t make a deal. We’ll take it out very easily,” Trump remarked, adding, “Bibi’s telling me that because he wants me to stay involved.”

Moreover, Trump voiced his displeasure at Netanyahu making Iran’s intentions public. He noted, “I heard Bibi announced that. I said, ‘Why don’t you just tell it to me? Why do you have to announce it to the world?’”

When questioned about their alignment on Iran, Trump acknowledged a slight difference in goals but indicated they were mostly aligned. “We have a little difference. But pretty close, yeah,” he said.

Netanyahu arrived in the U.S. on Monday evening, attending a memorial dinner for Graham along with his wife, Sara Netanyahu. The Prime Minister reflected on Graham’s impact, saying, “America lost a great patriot. Israel lost one of its greatest friends. And I lost a dear friend,” alongside photos from the event. He praised Graham for his dedication to the security of both the U.S. and Israel, as well as his fight against anti-Semitism.

Shortly after his meeting with Netanyahu, Trump also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as many leaders gathered in the U.S. to honor Graham.