Netanyahu congratulates Trump on US Independence Day, agrees to meet amid tensions over US-Iran deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated U.S. President Donald Trump on America’s 250th Independence Day, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said on Friday, adding that the two leaders agreed to meet in the near future. According to the PMO, Netanyahu told Trump that “the U.S. is what ensures the freedom of the world,” and said Israel deeply values the close bond between the two countries.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump agreed to meet soon in the U.S.,” the PMO added.

The conversation came amid reported tensions between Washington and Jerusalem over the Trump administration’s emerging Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Islamic Republic, which is intended to serve as the framework for a 60-day diplomatic effort to end the US-Iran war.

Israeli officials have expressed concern that Washington could soften its long-standing position on preventing Iran from advancing its nuclear program and continuing to threaten the region through its missile arsenal and support for proxy groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and the Houthis in Yemen.

The administration has also faced criticism at home over the proposed arrangement with Tehran. Several prominent conservatives have denounced the prospective deal as appeasement, while questioning whether it would impose meaningful limits on Iran’s nuclear and military capabilities.

At the same time, the Trump administration has signaled that diplomacy is not its only option. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Trump is considering returning to fighting Iran if the deal fails to produce the desired outcome. U.S. officials, speaking anonymously, said Washington could resume operations against Iran if necessary.

Israel and the U.S. launched a joint military campaign against Iran on Feb. 28, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and dozens of senior Iranian officials, while inflicting heavy damage on Tehran’s nuclear, naval and missile infrastructure. The 40-day conflict left the regime significantly weakened, though Iran continues to retain missile and drone capabilities and maintains support for regional proxy forces.

Speaking to CNBC on Thursday, Trump said Iran had “agreed to just about everything we need” in the current talks with Washington, though he did not provide details.

Iranian officials, however, have publicly denied agreeing to dismantle the country’s nuclear program, curb its missile development, or end support for allied armed groups in the region, including Hezbollah in Lebanon.

One of the unresolved issues in the talks concerns the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s energy supply passes. Iran’s blockade of the strait during the war sent shockwaves through global energy markets and raised fears of a broader economic disruption.

“We’re negotiating, and we’ll see,” Trump said.

Trump also described Iran as “a spoiled child” and the “bully of the Middle East,” while reiterating that the regime must not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.

“You’ve had your way for many years with your parents, and all of a sudden they come down hard on you; it takes you a little while to get used to it,” he said of Iran. “They’ve had their way for 47 years.”

Trump also said the United States is now dealing with a new set of leaders in Iran following the war.

“We’re on the third set of leaders, and we actually get along with them,” he said. “I think they’re much more rational. By the way, I think that’s regime change, but I’m not looking for regime change. I’m looking for something very simple. They cannot have a nuclear weapon.”