US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks in the White House on Tuesday, which both sides described as “productive.” The meeting took place during Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, where he also coordinated with senior US officials.

US Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X that Trump’s consecutive meetings with Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were “positive and productive.” She confirmed that both discussions concluded successfully in the Oval Office.

Netanyahu hailed his meeting with Trump as one of the finest partnerships of his tenure. He emphasised that the talks centred on preventing a nuclear Iran and securing Israel’s future. In a video message shared on Instagram, he described the discussions as far more than routine diplomacy, highlighting a profound alignment between the two administrations and their national security teams.

He said the conversation was marked by full partnership, mutual support, and a shared goal of ensuring Iran does not acquire nuclear weapons. Netanyahu called it “one of the best conversations I have ever had with a President of the United States, our friend Donald Trump.” He added that the talks allowed both sides to exchange ideas and tightly coordinate critical security measures.

Although the meeting was closed to the press, Netanyahu’s office released images from the Oval Office showing him and Trump smiling side by side. Other photographs revealed the presence of US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, special envoy Steve Witkoff, Israeli ambassador Yechiel Leiter, and Netanyahu’s national security adviser Shmuel Ben Ezra.

Additional visuals showed Netanyahu and his team preparing for the meeting at the White House. These images underscored the high-level nature of the engagement and the involvement of senior officials from both governments.

Trump, in an interview with Fox News, dismissed reports that Netanyahu intended to share intelligence about Iran’s nuclear program.

He insisted that the US was already monitoring Iran’s nuclear activities. “I don’t need Bibi to tell me that. Bibi is telling me that because he wants me to stay involved,” Trump said. He added, “I heard Bibi announce that. I said, ‘Why didn’t you just tell it me, why do you have to announce it to the world?’”

Referring to the Pickaxe Mountain site, believed to be linked to Iran’s nuclear activities, Trump said, “I know exactly what is going on at Pickaxe Mountain. It’s not a big problem.” He further stated, “We took out their nuclear sites, and we’ll have to take out Pickaxe Mountain if they don’t make a deal.”

The meeting comes amid renewed escalation in the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. The collapse of a ceasefire established under a Memorandum of Understanding signed by Washington and Tehran has reignited tensions. Israel had opposed the accord from the outset, and its military actions in Lebanon repeatedly hindered regional diplomatic initiatives.

The talks between Trump and Netanyahu therefore carried significant weight, as both leaders sought to reinforce their partnership while addressing the challenges posed by Iran’s nuclear ambitions and the broader instability in the Middle East.

ANI