Trump says Netanyahu 'knows who the boss is' as ties fray over Iran ceasefire, Lebanon. Meeting next week could reset or deepen rift. Defense, oil sectors on watch.
President Donald Trump said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has requested a White House meeting, possibly as soon as next week. "We get along very good. He knows who the boss is," Trump told Axios. The meeting would be the first since February, when Netanyahu presented his plan for a joint war against Iran in the Situation Room.
Ties have frayed since then. Trump signed a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding with Iran in April, extending a ceasefire and launching fresh nuclear talks. Netanyahu was not included in that deal. The US also pressed Israel to halt its offensive in Lebanon, which Trump called an obstacle to the Iran talks. In a phone call last month, Trump slammed Netanyahu over the Lebanon escalation, calling him "crazy" and accusing him of being ungrateful, a US official said.
The Washington Post reported this week that the US warned Tehran of Israel's possible plan to kill its top negotiators, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. The report shows the widening gap between Washington and Tel Aviv on Iran strategy.
Netanyahu faces elections in October, and polls show him trailing. A successful meeting with Trump could boost his domestic standing. The relationship is at a low point. "Many of Trump's closest advisers think that Bibi was wrong about everything," a US official said.
For traders, the meeting is a binary event for several sectors. Defense contractors with Israeli procurement ties could benefit from a reset in relations. Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Boeing have long-term contracts with Israel.
Oil markets are also sensitive. The Iran ceasefire and nuclear talks have kept a lid on the risk premium in crude. A tougher US stance on Iran would return that premium.
The timeline is tight. Trump returns from the NATO summit in Ankara on July 8-9. The meeting could happen the following week or the week after, an Israeli official said. No date is confirmed.
The key variable is whether Netanyahu can rebuild trust. Trump's advisers are skeptical. Trump called Netanyahu "crazy" in a phone call last month, a US official said. A meeting that ends with public harmony without a substantive shift would leave the underlying tensions unresolved.
An Israeli official said the meeting might take place the week after the NATO summit. No date is confirmed.
Prepared with AlphaScala research tooling and grounded in primary market data: live prices, fundamentals, SEC filings, hedge-fund holdings, and insider activity. Each story is checked against AlphaScala publishing rules before release. Educational coverage, not personalized advice.