Netanyahu Trump meeting set as Iran war puts pressure on both allies
Netanyahu is due at the White House as Trump weighs Iran, Lebanon, Saudi ties and the strain of a widening regional war.
By Sal Moretti · Money Reporter
4 min read
Benjamin Netanyahu is expected at the White House on Tuesday for a Netanyahu Trump meeting shadowed by the Iran war, tensions over Lebanon and a relationship that both men describe as friendly but not friction-free.
A White House official told NBC News that President Donald Trump and the Israeli prime minister are set to discuss the conflict with Iran, a framework agreement for peace in Lebanon and efforts to expand the Abraham Accords. The same official said Trump will also meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday about the war in Ukraine.
The sit-down comes as Netanyahu faces falling support at home for the Iran war he has long backed, according to NBC News, and as Gallup polling cited by NBC News shows support for his government’s actions has dropped in the United States.
What will Netanyahu and Trump discuss?
Netanyahu said at the start of an Israeli Cabinet meeting Sunday that Iran would be on the agenda. The war has shown no sign of a settlement, according to NBC News, after nearly two weeks of U.S. strikes this month and Iranian attacks on ships and American targets in the region.
The Abraham Accords will also be part of the talks, according to the White House official. In this case, the issue centers on Trump’s push for more normalization between Israel and Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia.
Trump said last week that Saudi Arabia must normalize relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords before he would approve a civil nuclear deal with the kingdom. Netanyahu told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” that Trump was “absolutely right in stating that condition.”
A friendly alliance with sharp edges
The meeting follows signs of strain between Trump and Netanyahu. Asked Monday aboard Air Force One about Netanyahu’s criticism of his decision to sell F-35 jets to Turkey, Trump said, “Nobody tells me what we should be selling and not.”
Asked whether he and Netanyahu agreed on Iran, Trump replied, “We have a little difference, but pretty close.”
Their last known clash burst into public view after Axios reported in June that Trump had called Netanyahu “f---ing crazy” during a heated phone call. Trump later confirmed the report to the New York Post, saying he had been “a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon.”
Netanyahu has described the disagreements as tactical. He said he and Trump “always find a way to work them out” and do so “as great friends.”
War funding and weapons supplies are under scrutiny
The meeting also lands as lawmakers scrutinize the administration’s handling of the war since the U.S. and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury in late February, according to NBC News. Four U.S. soldiers were killed in recent days, bringing the American military death toll in the war to 18, NBC News reported.
NBC News has reported that U.S. weapons stockpiles are shrinking and that some American commanders are allowing certain Iranian missiles and drones to pass U.S. defenses to conserve weapons. The Defense Department is asking Congress for another $67 billion in supplemental funding to expand weapons production and speed deliveries, according to NBC News.
Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that the U.S. “has everything that it needs to conduct this campaign as effectively as it needs to be.” Waltz also said Trump was giving talks between the U.S. and Iran “some space,” while keeping all options available.
Netanyahu told Fox News that U.S. and Israeli intelligence services are working closely and that he wanted to hear Trump’s thinking because “in many ways it’s his decision.” He also warned that if Iran attacks Israel directly or through proxies, Israel’s response would be “very, very forceful.”
While in the U.S., Netanyahu is also expected to attend a memorial service for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, whom he called “a great friend of Israel.” Netanyahu has said he plans to travel to New York City for the U.N. General Assembly in September, after Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the city lacks legal authority to arrest him and Trump said Netanyahu “will not be arrested” in the United States.
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.