The Fractured Partnership
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spent months trying to secure a White House meeting, and now he will finally sit face-to-face with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. This encounter comes at a pivotal moment—since the war with Iran began, their shared alliance has shifted to a more tense and uncertain relationship. Netanyahu's goal during the meeting is clear: to strengthen U.S. backing for Israel's aggressive stance toward Iran, which he believes is vital for Israel's security.
Trump, however, is showing signs of moving in a different direction. His focus has turned to the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway critical to global oil shipments. The U.S. president seems more concerned with ensuring energy stability through control of the region, rather than supporting Israel's military actions. This change in focus contrasts sharply with Netanyahu's view of the conflict as a battle for Israel's survival.
Back home, rising fuel costs and inflation are turning American public opinion against the war in Iran. With midterms scheduled for November and polls showing a shift in power toward the Democrats, Trump may feel pressure to distance himself from Netanyahu. Instead of pushing for continued conflict, the president has hinted at a willingness to explore diplomatic options with Tehran, signaling a possible shift in policy.
The recent U.S.-Saudi nuclear agreement adds another layer of tension to the Netanyahu-Trump dynamic. The deal allows U.S. companies to assist Saudi Arabia in developing its civilian nuclear program, but only if Riyadh joins the Abraham Accords. Israel, the only nuclear power in the region, has long been wary of Saudi nuclear ambitions and has refused to make normalized relations conditional on Palestinian statehood. This position puts Netanyahu at odds with U.S. strategy.
Netanyahu has not backed down on his demands. While in New York, he will face calls for his arrest, including from Mayor Zohran Mamdani. An arrest warrant for Netanyahu was issued in 2024 by the International Criminal Court over alleged war crimes committed in Gaza. However, the U.S. is not a member of the Rome Statute and therefore has no legal obligation to recognize the warrant, allowing Netanyahu to proceed with his plans.
Beyond the Iran issue, the meeting will also mark an emotional moment as Netanyahu attends the funeral of Sen. Lindsey Graham, a long-standing U.S. supporter of Israel. His visit includes a tight schedule that sees him in Washington at the same time as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, highlighting the complex international dynamics Trump is navigating.
The war with Iran began in late February with US-Israeli strikes but has seen a recent pause in the fighting, with Washington saying it wants to give negotiations a chance. Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels said Tuesday they targeted a Saudi oil tanker, the NCC Ghazal, in the Red Sea with ballistic missiles for violating a blockade on the kingdom's ports announced by the Iran-backed group. Saudi Arabia had yet to comment on the Houthis' claim, but reported having intercepted drones targeting oil facilities in its east, blaming pro-Iran militias in Iraq. U.S. Central Command said Tuesday that "Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran in an attempted surprise attack on US forces based in the Middle East," adding that all missiles were successfully intercepted. Both sides had held their fire over the weekend, following nearly two weeks of nightly strikes by the United States on Iran, and repeated missile and drone salvos by Tehran targeting Washington's allies around the Gulf. Israel has not taken part in the latest round of hostilities between the United States and Iran, which flared earlier this month as an April ceasefire collapsed.
The meeting was the eighth between the two leaders since Trump's return to office in early 2025 and came ahead of key electoral tests later this year for both Netanyahu and the US president: national elections in Israel and midterm polls in the United States. Netanyahu's office said he attended a private memorial dinner in Washington on Monday evening in honor of the late senator Lindsey Graham. He also went to a memorial service for the staunch ally of Israel.
Relations between Trump and Netanyahu reached a low point in April during negotiations on the ceasefire with Iran, with Trump unleashing profanity-laced tirades against the Israeli premier. Trump later described Netanyahu in an interview as a "very difficult guy." Netanyahu downplayed the exchanges as "tactical disagreements," saying they were aligned on the goals of the war. "No break" in ties. On Tuesday, the leaders were expected to discuss the implementation of a US-sponsored framework deal signed by Israel and Lebanon last month, whose application on the ground has been challenging. The talks were also expected to touch on Gaza, as diplomatic efforts to kick-start the devastated Palestinian territory's reconstruction are at a standstill. Nearly three years after the war between Israel and Hamas broke out, the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire, and Israel continues to regularly target people the military says are militants.
Danny Danon, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, said Tuesday that Netanyahu's visit came at a "critical time for the Middle East," with Iran continuing "to choose terrorism over negotiations" and blocking the key Strait of Hormuz waterway. Yonatan Freeman, an international relations expert at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said the primary aim of the visit was to dispel reports of a cooling in ties between the allies. "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," Freeman told AFP.
As the world watches, the Trump-Netanyahu meeting could determine the future of U.S.-Israel relations and the path of the conflict in the Middle East. Netanyahu is eager to solidify his legacy, while Trump appears torn between his past alliance with Israel and the shifting political and economic realities in the U.S.
Both leaders are at a crossroads. For Netanyahu, the meeting is a chance to reaffirm his position ahead of Israel's elections. For Trump, it's an opportunity to reset U.S. strategy in the region. The outcome of their discussion could have lasting implications for the war in the Middle East and the future of international diplomacy.