Netanyahu signals reliance on Trump’s judgment over further Iran steps

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made clear to US President Donald Trump and his administration that Israel would retaliate if Iran attacked it, while trusting the president’s judgment on any further steps, an Israeli official briefed on the White House meeting said. 

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, also noted that Netanyahu told Trump that Israel would continue sharing intelligence with Washington while understanding that the US had its own timeline and considerations before any military escalation, Caliber.Az reports via Associated Press (AP).

At the same time, the prime minister expressed understanding that the United States must take into account the positions of its Arab allies in the Middle East when dealing with the conflict with Iran.

The comments followed a roughly 90-minute closed-door meeting between Netanyahu and Trump in the Oval Office on July 28, 2026 — their first face-to-face talks since the joint US-Israeli military campaign against Iran began in late February.

Both sides described the discussions as positive and productive, with Netanyahu calling it “excellent” and “one of the best” conversations he has had with Trump, while the White House and Trump himself characterised it as a “very good” session covering many important subjects, centred on preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

By Jeyhun Aghazada