President Donald Trump will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday for their first face-to-face meeting since the United States and Israel launched joint strikes against Iran at the end of February.
The ongoing conflict is expected to dominate the talks as Trump weighs whether to give diplomacy more time or resume American military operations.
Netanyahu described the visit as both a “great privilege” and a “great responsibility,” noting that Tuesday’s meeting will be his eighth with Trump since the president returned to office.
“We will discuss all the issues on the agenda, first and foremost Iran,” Netanyahu said before departing Israel. “Naturally, our goal is to safeguard our security and also to expand the circle of peace around us.”
Trump said Monday that he and Netanyahu have “a little difference” over the Iran conflict but remain “pretty close,” according to ABC News.
Those differences came into sharper focus Tuesday morning when Trump was asked about reports that Netanyahu plans to raise possible Iranian nuclear activity at Pickaxe Mountain, a heavily fortified underground facility.
“I don’t need Bibi to tell me that,” Trump said during an appearance on “Fox & Friends,” arguing that Netanyahu wants the United States to remain involved in the conflict.
“I know exactly what’s going on at Pickaxe,” Trump added, warning that the U.S. could “take it out very easily” if Tehran refuses to reach an agreement. Trump nevertheless said the administration has held “some very good talks” with Iran and would prefer to avoid striking the country’s bridges and power plants, Reuters reported.
The U.S. paused its attacks after 13 consecutive nights of strikes to provide room for negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Trump has made clear that the military option remains on the table if those discussions fail.
“I think there’s a good chance that something could happen,” Trump told reporters Monday. “And if it does, good. If it doesn’t, we go back to doing what we were doing two days ago.”
Trump has also publicly defended Netanyahu against calls from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) to detain the Israeli leader under an International Criminal Court warrant.
Netanyahu will “not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America,” Trump declared in a recent Truth Social post.
The meeting comes during Netanyahu’s visit to Washington to honor his longtime ally, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).
Graham will be remembered Tuesday during ceremonies at the U.S. Capitol and Washington National Cathedral, where Trump is expected to deliver a tribute. Services will continue Wednesday in Graham’s home state of South Carolina.
Netanyahu called Graham “a true friend of mine and the State of Israel.” The late senator was one of Israel’s most forceful defenders on Capitol Hill and consistently advocated a hard line against Iran.
Following Graham’s death, Trump ordered flags at the White House, federal buildings and military installations to be lowered to half-staff as a mark of respect for the senator’s service. The president later said Graham had been “like a member of the family” and described his death as a loss for the entire country.
“The real loser was the United States of America,” Trump said, according to a White House tribute. “We lost a great person, a kind person, a very smart person.”
Trump is also scheduled to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who traveled to Washington for Graham’s funeral. Zelensky was among the last foreign leaders to meet with the senator before Graham died from an aortic dissection at 71.
Zelensky said his “number-one priority” during the visit is strengthening Ukraine’s air and anti-ballistic missile defenses. He is also expected to meet with senators as the chamber considers legislation championed by Graham that would impose harsher sanctions on Russia and countries that continue trading with Moscow.
The convergence of Netanyahu, Zelensky and Trump in Washington underscores Graham’s lasting influence on American foreign policy—and gives the president a consequential day of diplomacy.
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