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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that he had an "excellent" meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, marking their first face-to-face talks since the war with Iran began in late February.
"I've just finished an excellent meeting with President Trump," Netanyahu said in a video statement, adding that the talks focused on "our common goal: ensuring that Iran does not obtain nuclear weapons."
"It was one of the best conversations I've ever had with the President of the United States, our friend Donald Trump," he said.
According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), a senior source in Netanyahu's delegation also described the meeting as "extremely positive."
"The Prime Minister and President held an excellent and comprehensive discussion on the key issues of the day, first and foremost Iran," the source said in a statement to journalists.
"The leaders reaffirmed their ironclad commitment to ensuring that Iran never has nuclear weapons," the source added.
Trump hosted Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday for their eighth face-to-face meeting since the U.S. president returned to office.
Netanyahu arrived at the West Wing at 10:57 a.m. local time, or 1457 GMT. The meeting, which was closed to the media, ended 90 minutes later.
"President Trump has concluded his meetings in the Oval Office with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Netanyahu. Both meetings were positive and productive," White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said.
Speaking after the meeting, Netanyahu said the discussion reflected full partnership and mutual support, particularly on the shared goal of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
The Oval Office meeting included a senior U.S. delegation.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth took part in the discussions alongside Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.
On the Israeli side, Ambassador Yechiel Leiter and other senior officials represented Tel Aviv.
A large crowd gathered outside the White House to protest Netanyahu's visit before and during the meeting.
Discussions with Netanyahu, who traveled to the United States to attend the funeral of Sen. Lindsey Graham, were expected to focus on the regional war with Iran, the implementation of the Israel-Lebanon security framework and efforts to expand the Abraham Accords, the White House told Anadolu on Monday.
The visit came amid public friction between the two leaders.
Trump recently criticized Netanyahu for publicly voicing concerns about Iran's nuclear facilities instead of discussing them privately.
He also dismissed Netanyahu's opposition to U.S. fighter jet sales to Türkiye, saying no one would dictate American arms exports.
Despite the disagreements, Trump said Monday that the two were "pretty close" on Iran, while acknowledging a "little difference" in their approaches.
While in the United States, Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, attended a memorial dinner Monday honoring Graham.
Lebanese businessman Antoun Sehnaoui and former U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus hosted the dinner, Axios reported.
The dinner included Graham's family, senior Trump administration officials and Israeli representatives.
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Democratic Sens. Chris Coons, Jeanne Shaheen, Sheldon Whitehouse and John Fetterman also attended, reflecting bipartisan participation.
"Israel has lost one of its greatest friends and supporters," Netanyahu said at the tribute.
He described Graham as a "great patriot" who remained committed to the security of the United States and Israel.
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