Israel’s Netanyahu announces US visit to build on Iran operation 'success'

JERUSALEM: Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday he expects to travel to the United States next week for meetings with President Donald Trump, after a "great victory" in a 12-day war with Iran last month.

AI Brief

Netanyahu will meet Trump and US officials to finalise a trade deal and discuss security.
Talks follow a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
US tariffs on Israeli goods, initially set at 17%, may increase as broader tariff hikes begin July 9.

Netanyahu said in a statement ahead of a cabinet meeting that the visit will also include talks with other top officials, such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

"We still have a few things to finalize in order to reach a trade agreement in addition to other matters," he said, referring to Trump's tariff plans. "I’ll also have meetings with congressional and Senate leaders and some security meetings."

Trump last month announced a ceasefire ending the hostilities between Israel and Iran.

The U.S. president said last week that his administration would send letters to a number of countries notifying them of their higher tariff rates before July 9, when the duties are scheduled to revert from a temporary 10% level to a range of between 11% and 50% announced on April 2 and subsequently suspended.

The U.S. initially set a 17% tariff on Israeli goods sold in the United States.