WASHINGTON — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House Tuesday for his first in-person talks with US President Donald Trump since the Iran war began in February, with the meeting being described by Netanyahu as “excellent” and “one of the best we’ve ever had.”

The meeting took place behind closed doors and without a press conference afterwards, with Netanyahu quietly entering the White House through a side entrance that was only partially visible to reporters, and leaving without fanfare some 90 minutes later. It was the eighth between the leaders since Trump’s return to office in early 2025.

The sit-down came amid reported straining of ties between the two leaders, with Trump expressing his annoyance at Netanyahu just before the meeting and with top US officials reportedly frustrated that none of Netanyahu’s predictions about how well the war would go have come to fruition, as the conflict continues to fester without a clear end.

However, Netanyahu was quick to temper any suggestions that he and Trump were on bad terms, saying shortly after the meeting: “It was a meeting with full cooperation, with mutual support, with understanding on the joint goal that Iran won’t have nuclear weapons, and also other goals.”

“It was one of the best conversations I’ve had with our friend, US President Trump,” Netanyahu insisted, and “an opportunity to exchange ideas, and also to coordinate on things that are important for the security and for the future of Israel.”

Photos released by Netanyahu’s office showed that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, US Vice President JD Vance and Trump’s top Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff were all present in the Oval Office.

Trump did not speak to reporters after the meeting, and the White House did not release a readout on the talks. However, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the talks, along with Trump’s earlier meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, were “positive and productive.”

After the meeting, both Netanyahu and Trump left the White House to attend the memorial service for the late, pro-Israel Republican senator Lindsey Graham.

Pickaxe mountain, Gaza and Lebanon pullouts, West Bank violence didn’t come up, official says

A senior official in the prime minister’s entourage told The Times of Israel shortly after the sit-down that they “talked about all arenas — primarily Iran,” though the........

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