American sources told Israel Hayom that President Trump is considering dismissing a number of senior administration officials who opposed the emerging agreement with Iran, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe. Secretary of State Marco Rubio appears to be receiving immunity for now, having been careful not to criticize the deal, the report said.
**The internal White House battle over the emerging Iran deal has entered a new phase**, as U.S. sources told Israel Hayom that President Trump is weighing the dismissal of senior officials who publicly opposed the agreement. The report, by journalist Danny Zaken, names Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe as those at risk. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, by contrast, appears to have secured temporary immunity by carefully avoiding direct criticism of the deal, the sources said.
**The Zioneer has been tracking this intra-administration rift.** At 08:05 Tuesday (Jerusalem time), our desk reported on the coalescing of two camps, citing i24NEWS: Vice President JD Vance, envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner supporting the deal, while Rubio, Hegseth, and Ratcliffe opposed it. Shortly after midnight, Israeli media reported that Rubio and Hegseth had been told they would be fired if they continued opposing the deal, a claim attributed to MSN. Today's Israel Hayom report shifts the focus — naming Hegseth and Ratcliffe as the prime targets for dismissal, while positioning Rubio as an outlier who has moderated his public stance.
**The sources did not provide a timeline for the potential dismissals**, and no official confirmation from the White House has been released. The dynamic underscores the high stakes of the Trump administration's push to finalize a nuclear understanding with Tehran, which remains opposed by a significant portion of the U.S. national security establishment.
2 developments
- StrongReport: U.S. officials split on emerging Iran deal; Vance, Witkoff, Kushner for it, Rubio, Hegseth, Ratcliffe against
- DevelopingUS officials: Trump has not abandoned diplomacy with Iran, patience wearing thin
- DevelopingTrump administration conducts secret talks with Tehran on new nuclear deal
- StrongSenior American official: Trump frustrated with talks, losing patience — 'violent assaults on Iran's infrastructure' ahead
Source and signal
- Internal intake