Trump, Netanyahu Tout 'Productive' 90-Min Iran War Talks
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- Trump and Netanyahu met privately in the Oval Office for a 90-minute "productive" session on the Iran war — unlike most previous Oval Office meetings, this one was closed to reporters and only Israeli government photos were released afterward
- Netanyahu's communication director Tzipi Hotovely said there is "no truth" to claims Israel is pushing the U.S. on Iran, stressing "both sides want to prevent Iran from having nuclear weapons"
- The leaders discussed Saudi Arabia normalizing relations with Israel as part of Trump's proposed Saudi nuclear deal
- The U.S. sale of F-35s to Turkey — which Israel opposes — was not raised at the meeting, and Trump did not demand Israel withdraw troops from areas it is occupying
- Hours before the meeting, Trump told Fox News Netanyahu was exaggerating Iran's Pickaxe Mountain nuclear threat, saying "Bibi's telling me that because he wants me to stay involved"
- The friendly tone followed weeks of friction after Operation Epic Fury launched in late February and ran longer than Trump predicted; in late May, Trump called Netanyahu "f---ing crazy" in a call about Israel's Lebanon operations
Why it matters: The public unity masks substantive disputes left off the table — the F-35 sale to Turkey and Israeli troop withdrawals weren't discussed, and Trump's pre-meeting Fox comments show his frustration with Netanyahu's nuclear threat assessments is unresolved. The private format shields those disagreements from public scrutiny while signaling to Iran that the U.S.-Israel alliance remains intact.
