The Trump administration is caught between two opposite directions of foreign policy, at a time when sensitive negotiations are in progress. On the one hand, an influential camp of conservatives close to Israel tries to convince the president to abandon any attempt to dialogue and to support a preventive attack on the Iranian nuclear infrastructure. On the other hand, the loyalists in the wing Magilize themselves to protect the diplomatic course and block a new military adventure in the Middle East, writes politico.com.
In the middle is Donald Trump himself, known for his oscillating positions, but who, at least for now, seems inclined to keep the direction of the negotiations led by his emissary, businessman Steve Witkoff.
Discreet campaign for a military option
According to sources close to the negotiations, part of the Republican elite – among which is the conservative producer Mark Levin and the political donor Ike Perlmutter – initiated a discreet campaign of the former president to accept an eventual Israeli offensive against Iran. During a private breakfast organized at the White House last week, Levin would have warned Trump that Tehran is “a few days away” by the development of a nuclear weapon-a statement contradicted by the reports of US secret services.
Trump, however, would have told the Israelis that an attack at this stage would “completely” destroy the chances of dialogue. The Witkoff emissary, also present at the meeting, is trying to keep the diplomatic channel open, proposing to the Tehran a compromise that would allow a controlled level of uranium enrichment in a regional consortium.
Public pressure and media campaigns
At the same time, in the public space, Levin and other pro-intervention conservatives criticize Witkoff. Some conservative publications, such as “The New York Post”, have suggested that this would be a “intermediary of the Qatar” – an accusation rejected by Trump's entourage as “a deliberate attempt to sabotage negotiations.”
Rupert Murdoch, the owner of the media trust, would have expressed dissatisfaction in limited circles against the diplomatic direction, and supporters of a harsh position-such as Mark Dubowitz, from Foundation for Defense of Democracies-warns that the lack of a credible military threat will encourage Tehran to continue the nuclear program.
In reply, influential personalities of the current Maga, such as Tucker Carlson, Charlie Kirk or JD Vice Vice President, jumped in the defense of Witkoff and diplomatic strategy. “Nothing in the available information indicates that Iran would be close to producing a bomb. All this noise is about changing regime and returning to the Middle East,” Carlson wrote on the X platform.
Trump, between diplomacy and strength temptation
According to some officials cited by Politico, Trump did not give up the idea of an agreement, but he is skeptical about the concessions that Iran requests. “They do not want to give up enrichment. We ask the opposite. So far there is no bridge between the two positions,” the president said on Monday.
In parallel, the recent report of the International Agency for Atomic Energy (AIEA) confirms that Iran has increased the stock of uranium enriched near the required weapons level, sufficient for about ten nuclear bombs. However, American intelligence services believe that Tehran has not yet decided to manufacture a nuclear weapon.
This symbolic confrontation between diplomacy and military force also generated a cooling between Trump and the Netanyahu government. Several Israeli officials believe that the opportunity window for an attack on Iran is narrowing, but Trump has explicitly asked to postpone such plans during his tour in the Middle East.
