Back in April, Trump had caught Netanyahu off guard by announcing that the US was willing to enter “direct” talks with Iran—an idea Netanyahu had tried, unsuccessfully, to dissuade. This time, Netanyahu is looking for clarity on whether further Israeli military action would have American backing.

T WO WEEKS after Israel’s dramatic war against Iran, Binyamin Netanyahu is arriving in Washington to bask in glory alongside Donald Trump. But to receive a victor’s reception at the White House, Israel’s prime minister may have to yield to America’s president on another matter.

After 12 days of intense strikes between Israel and Iran – punctuated by the United States’ bombing of Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend and Tehran’s performative retaliation – a US-brokered ceasefire is holding.

President Donald Trump on Monday announced that Israel and Iran have agreed to a ceasefire, after more than a week of aerial attacks following Israel's attack on Iran's nuclear program. The ceasefire was due to come into effect in the early hours of Tuesday morning,