President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks on Monday in Washington DC before addressing critical geopolitical issues during a hastily arranged meeting at the White House. The Oval Office discussion saw Trump fielding questions from reporters, while Netanyahu remained largely reserved, offering occasional remarks on key topics.

Trump answered questions on Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Gaza ceasefire negotiations, and escalating tensions with Turkey. The discussion showed alignment as well as friction between Trump and Netanyahu on key issues affecting and shaping political and regional stability in West Asia.

1. Iran nuclear talks set for Saturday

Trump announced that the US would initiate direct talks with Iran over its nuclear programme starting Saturday, marking the first substantive diplomatic engagement with Tehran during his second term. While details about the delegation and location remain undisclosed, Trump warned that Iran would face “great danger” if the talks failed. Netanyahu, however, reportedly advocated for a military operation to dismantle Iran’s nuclear facilities, a move deemed risky by experts. Trump described the delegation for talks as “high-level”.

The move comes amid reported pressure from Netanyahu for Washington to authorise military strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities – an option experts deem high-risk and unlikely to prevent long-term nuclear proliferation.

“Iran would be in great danger if talks are not successful,” Trump warned, underscoring the administration’s dual approach of diplomacy and implicit military threat.

Netanyahu reiterated Israel’s stance that Iran must abandon its nuclear ambitions entirely, though he remained silent on potential military coordination during the press briefing.

2. US ‘looking at another ceasefire’ in Gaza

The U.S. is working towards securing a new ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and facilitating the release of hostages held by Hamas. The two leaders addressed efforts to broker a new ceasefire in Gaza, where Israel resumed military operations last month following the collapse of a January truce.

Trump confirmed Washington’s focus on securing the release of 59 hostages still held by Hamas, including 22 Israelis and US-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander. “We’re looking at another ceasefire. We’ll see what happens. But we want to get the hostages out,” Trump said.

Netanyahu affirmed his dual objectives of hostage recovery and Hamas’s eradication, endorsing Trump’s controversial proposal for US oversight of Gaza and Palestinian relocation.

“Having a peace force like the United States there, controlling and owning the Gaza Strip, would be a good thing,” Trump said.

3. Netanyahu wants tariff solution ‘very quickly’

Trade tensions surfaced as Netanyahu sought to avert Trump’s newly imposed 17% reciprocal tariffs on Israeli goods. He pledged to eliminate Israel’s trade deficit with the US and dismantle barriers, saying, “I hope to bring a solution very quickly”.

As Netanyahu sought to resolve the reciprocal tariffs imposed by Trump on Israeli goods and pledged to address the trade deficit, the Israeli prime minister faced Trump’s reminder of the $4 billion in annual US military aid to Israel.

Trump remarked, “We do take care of our friends.”

Despite Netanyahu’s appeals, Trump showed no inclination to pause the tariffs. Trump also ruled out pausing the tariffs and reiterated threats to hike Chinese import duties to 54%, following Beijing’s retaliatory 34% tariff on US goods.

4. Trump says he will ‘work out’ Turkey-Israel tensions

Netanyahu raised concerns over Turkey’s growing influence in Syria, where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan backs a transitional government involving the US-designated terrorist group Hayat Tahrir-al Sham. Recent Israeli airstrikes on Syrian airbases hosting Turkish forces have exacerbated tensions.

“Any problem that you have with Turkey, I think I can solve… We have to be reasonable,” Trump told Netanyahu, referencing his rapport with Erdogan.

Netanyahu, acknowledging Trump’s potential mediation role, said, “We can’t have a better interlocutor than the president of the United States”.

5. Trump ‘not happy’ over Russia-Ukraine fighting

Trump voiced dissatisfaction with the ongoing Russia-Ukraine fighting, despite efforts to broker a limited ceasefire. While Russia was exempted from US tariffs due to ongoing negotiations, Ukraine faced a 10% tariff on its exports.

Addressing the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, Trump referred to intensified bombardments despite US-brokered ceasefire talks focusing on energy infrastructure and Black Sea shipping. “They’re bombing like crazy right now… that’s not a good situation,” he said.

The administration exempted Russia from reciprocal tariffs to avoid complicating peace negotiations, though Ukraine faces a 10% duty on US-bound exports. White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett has defended the decision, arguing that it was inappropriate to “conflate” trade measures with ceasefire discussions.

The takeaway from Trump-Netanyahu talks

The White House meeting showed Trump’s transactional approach to alliances, intertwining security cooperation with economic demands. While Trump and Netanyahu displayed unity on countering Iran and Hamas, obvious divergences on trade and regional strategy hinted at underlying complexities in the US-Israel relations since the Republican leader has taken the office.

Netanyahu’s muted presence during the briefing contrasted with Trump’s expansive commentary, reflecting the delicate balance of US-Israel relations amid evolving global crises. As Trump advances high-stakes diplomacy with Iran and deals with Gaza’s volatile situation, the changing US-Israel relations look set to reverberate across West Asia, impacting geopolitics but also emphasising Trump’s role as a mediator-in-chief.