Trump Says "Khamenei Funeral Tears May Be Fake... Israel Requested Meeting"

"Netanyahu knows who the boss is," Trump says

NATO summit scheduled for July 7-8... Meeting likely after the 13th

U.S. President Donald Trump stated that he had been invited to a meeting at the White House by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, emphasizing that he holds the initiative in relations with Iran.

U.S. President Donald Trump (left) meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office at the White House. Photo by AFP

In a phone interview with U.S. media outlet Axios on the 4th (local time), President Trump mentioned that Prime Minister Netanyahu had requested a meeting at the White House, saying, "We are getting along very well," and added, "(Prime Minister Netanyahu) knows who the boss is."

If the two leaders meet, it will be the first time in about five months since their last meeting in the White House Situation Room before the Iranian airstrike in February. At that time, Prime Minister Netanyahu met President Trump in the underground Situation Room of the White House. They reportedly spent an hour discussing the necessity of airstrikes against Iran, after which the decision was made for the U.S. military to begin its operation.

However, as the war with Iran dragged on longer than expected, internal divisions arose within the Republican Party, and criticism mounted from the MAGA (Make America Great Again) faction, claiming that President Trump was unable to stand up to Prime Minister Netanyahu. In response, it was reported that President Trump made a phone call to Prime Minister Netanyahu last month, during which he reportedly lashed out, calling him "crazy" and "ungrateful." Accordingly, these recent remarks are interpreted as President Trump asserting his upper hand in his relationship with Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Regarding this, an Israeli official said that a meeting between Israel and the United States could take place as early as the following week after President Trump returns from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office also confirmed, "Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump have agreed to meet in the United States soon," adding that the Prime Minister's visit to the White House could take place after that. However, no specific schedule or agenda has been disclosed yet.

Meanwhile, President Trump said that he watched the funeral of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, which was held in Iran that day. President Trump commented, "With one shot, we could take out everyone gathered at the funeral, but we will not do that, because then there would be no one left to negotiate with." He added, "Iran desperately wants an agreement," claiming that both sides agreed to suspend negotiations for a week until the funeral was over. He said he was surprised to see Iranians crying at the funeral, as he thought the Iranian people hated their former leader. He remarked, "Maybe those were fake tears."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.