Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to visit the White House on 15 February for his first meeting with US President Donald Trump since he took office.

As he announced the visit, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said: “Our relationship with the only democracy in the Middle East is crucial to the security of both our nations and the President looks forward to discussing continuous strategic, technological, military and intelligence cooperation with the Prime Minister.”

He added: “I think that with respect to Israel and the Jewish people specifically, there’s been no better friend than Donald Trump when it comes to protecting Israel, building a better friendship with Israel.”

In his own statement, Netanyahu said that he “greatly appreciates President Trump’s kind invitation to Washington and his warm words about Israel,” and he looks “forward to discussing with him the areas of cooperation between us that are so vital to the security and well-being of our two countries”.

Netanyahu has made clear that he intends to raise Iran’s regional and nuclear ambitions during his talks with President Trump. Condemning an Iranian ballistic missile test over the weekend, Netanyahu said he will “raise the need for a renewal of sanctions against Iran” as “this issue worries not only the US and Israel but many countries in the region. We will advance this issue because Iranian aggression must not go unanswered”.

Two other issues likely to be discussed on 15 February is Trump’s pledge to move the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the civil war in Syria and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

In an interview earlier this week with the Christian Broadcasting Network, Trump said he would be making a decision on a possible move of the embassy “in the not-too-distant future”.

He added that “it’s a big, big decision but we’re studying the issue right now,” and although “I’ve always liked the concept of doing it,” the issue “has two sides to it, it’s not easy”.

Netanyahu is expected to return to Israel on February 17 and two days later, to head for Australia for a visit from February 19 to February 24.

According the Israeli media, senior Australian officials were concerned that the date of the Netanyahu-Trump meeting would lead to the cancellation of Netanyahu’s visit to Australia.

Senior Australian officials told the Prime Minister’s Bureau in Jerusalem that Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin had canceled other visits at the last minute, and another cancellation would be viewed as an insult and would damage ties.

The Prime Minister's Bureau has finally decided not to cancel the trip, but rather to shorten it and cancel a scheduled visit to Singapore on the way to Australia.