WASHINGTON, July 29 (Xinhua) — U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday held his first in-person meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since the U.S.-Israeli military strikes on Iran in late February, sparking concerns over deeper U.S. involvement amid escalating strains.
UNEASY PARTNERSHIP
The relationship between leaders of the two countries has experienced ups and downs in recent months. Netanyahu himself has acknowledged that he and Trump have had some differences, as the interests of the two countries in the Middle East appeared to diverge.
Netanyahu said before his departure that he would discuss with Trump mainly the Iranian issue, Israel’s security, and efforts to expand the circle of peace around Israel.
Israel’s Channel 12 News reported that Netanyahu was expected to present Trump with up-to-date intelligence on Iran’s “progress toward a nuclear bomb,” express opposition to the U.S. demand for an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and Syria, and ask the U.S. president not to sell weapons systems and F-35 jets to Trkiye.
Before the meeting, a White House official, granted anonymity to preview the meeting, said the two leaders would discuss the Iran conflict, a trilateral agreement among the United States, Israel and Lebanon, and seek to expand the Abraham Accords on normalizing diplomatic ties between Israel and some Arab countries.
“All of President Trump’s decisions are guided by what is best for the American people and our national security,” the official said.
According to statements released by the two governments after the talks, the closed-door meeting lasted for nearly 90 minutes and focused primarily on Iran and its nuclear program. “Both meetings were positive and productive!” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on social media, also referring to Trump’s closed-door meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier in the day.
Trump and Netanyahu reaffirmed their “ironclad commitment to ensuring that Iran never has nuclear weapons” during their talks, according to a statement issued by Netanyahu’s office.
An Israeli official briefed on the White House meeting said Netanyahu made it clear to the U.S. side that if Iran were to attack Israel, they would respond, and they would trust the judgment of the president regarding next steps, according to U.S. media reports.
Netanyahu had not been to the White House since the launch of the war. Until Monday, the White House had not publicly confirmed the meeting, details of which were finalized as officials prepared for Senator Lindsey Graham’s funeral.
“I’m interested in seeing how forward-leaning Netanyahu is about wanting a U.S. engagement in that way. I mean, is that something he wants to do privately? Is that something he’s going to say publicly?” said Alex Gray, who served as National Security Council chief of staff during Trump’s first term, before the meeting.
“Netanyahu is going to push his agenda, which I don’t think in this instance necessarily is compatible with our interests, but I have no concern that Donald Trump is going to be manipulated by any leader into doing something that’s not compatible with America’s interest first,” he said.
GROWING BURDEN FOR U.S.
Some analysts say that the meeting was overshadowed as the unpopular war has entered its sixth month — characterized by the U.S. lack of clear strategies, failed objectives, and setbacks that have left it going nowhere.
The Trump administration is under pressure to put an end to the war that has disturbed the economy and driven prices higher ahead of midterm elections in November.
The U.S. public has grown increasingly wary of the war. According to a new poll published on Monday, only one in three Americans supports the war against Iran, the lowest reading since the conflict’s early days.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted from Friday through Sunday, found that 69 percent of Americans — including four in 10 Republicans — think the administration has not “clearly explained the goals of U.S. military involvement in Iran.”
In defiance of a renewed U.S. threat to launch massive attacks, Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) forces on Wednesday targeted a U.S. air base in Jordan with ballistic missiles and stopped three “violating” oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, a sign of more firm battles for Iran, which vowed to avenge the U.S.-Israeli strikes.
Iran blames the United States for breaching any agreement reached, saying that it is hard to trust the United States.
