Trump and Netanyahu meet for the first time since military action against Iran.
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US President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu held a face-to-face meeting at the White House on July 28, marking the first such encounter since the two countries jointly launched large-scale military operations against Iran in late February. The closed-door meeting aimed to coordinate strategic moves on the Iran nuclear issue and Middle Eastern geopolitical matters.
Despite earlier differences in the pace of military operations, the latest statements suggest the 90-minute talks greatly eased tensions. According to CCTV News citing Netanyahu, both sides had an "excellent meeting" and maintained a high degree of consensus on the core goal of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons; White House Press Secretary Leavitt also publicly confirmed the talks were "positive and productive."
For global markets and investors, the meeting signaled a temporary cooling of the Middle East situation, reducing the tail risk of energy supply chain disruptions in the short term. Previously, Trump had suspended 13 days of continuous military strikes against Iran to seek diplomatic space, mainly to avoid escalation that could lead to the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz and trigger a surge in global energy prices ahead of key elections.
While easing expectations of direct conflict, both sides are also trying for new breakthroughs on the Middle Eastern diplomatic landscape. According to Xinhua, besides focusing on the Iran conflict, the two leaders are seeking to include Saudi Arabia in the "Abraham Accords," an initiative that could reshape the regional order and directly impact prospects for the US-Saudi civilian nuclear cooperation agreement.
Coordinating Positions and Military Rhythms on Iran
According to media reports, the relationship between the US and Israeli leaders had undergone some turbulence in the past few weeks before the meeting.
With the joint military operation launched in February taking longer than expected, Trump confirmed to media on July 27 that he had decided to pause strikes to open a window for negotiations, but kept the option for larger-scale action if diplomacy failed. In pre-meeting interviews, Trump stated he has full intelligence about Iran's Ghaosan underground nuclear facilities and said Netanyahu brought up the matter as “wanting me to stay involved.”
Nevertheless, official statements after the meeting smoothed over these public rifts. Israel's communications director Tzipi Hotovely clarified to reporters that Israel did not push the US in any particular direction on Iran and both sides are united on the issue.
CCTV News reported that Netanyahu described the dialogue as “one of the deepest, best conversations” he’s ever had with the US president, demonstrating comprehensive partnership. Before meeting Netanyahu, Trump also had a roughly one-hour meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky.
Domestic Politics and Energy Considerations During the Election Cycle
The US and Israel’s choices on military options are deeply influenced by their domestic political and economic cycles.
According to Xinhua citing analysis from The Times of Israel, the two leaders’ short-term interests regarding Iran are misaligned. Israel is set for parliamentary elections in October, and Netanyahu needs to shore up voter support with a tough military stance; while facing US mid-term Congressional elections in November, Trump’s priority is controlling domestic economic issues, especially stabilizing energy prices.
Former US ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides pointed out that convincing Trump to return to large-scale warfare is no easy task. The US advisory teams generally oppose further escalation out of concern that it would heavily deplete US military ammunition reserves, provoke spillovers, and strain relations with Middle Eastern allies.
For macro traders, any large-scale military action against Iran could trigger the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off the world’s energy lifeline. Uncontrolled spikes in energy prices before the mid-term elections would be an economic “nightmare” for the current US administration.
Can’t Agree on Iran, Talk Saudi?
With large-scale military action against Iran stalling, pushing Israel’s normalization with Arab nations becomes Netanyahu’s key “political victory” alternative. White House statements said the two leaders focused on advancing the “Abraham Accords” and the US-Israel-Lebanon trilateral framework, with persuading Saudi Arabia to join the Accords as a central topic.
On July 22, US and Saudi energy departments just signed a cooperative agreement for peaceful use of nuclear energy. Trump then used it as a geopolitical bargaining chip, declaring approval of the agreement depends on Saudi joining the “Abraham Accords”—though this was not mentioned in the original bilateral statement.
The “Abraham Accords” are agreements signed by Israel with UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, Morocco, and other Arab nations to quickly normalize relations between Israel and Arab countries.
However, achieving this diplomatic breakthrough faces practical obstacles. According to Xinhua, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed clearly rejected joining the Accords during a visit to the US last November, citing Israel’s military operations in Gaza as causing a surge in anti-Israel sentiment domestically, making normalization unacceptable in the short term.
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