The possibility of removing a number of senior officials of his government who voiced opposition to the agreement with Iran, Donald Trump is reportedly considering, according to an Israeli newspaper Hayom. These include Defence Minister Pete Hegseth and CIA director John Ratcliffe.
"The dispute (with Iran) has ended. Anyone who opposed the agreement could pay a personal price," said a senior American official, describing what is taking place in the background of the Middle East discussions within the White House.
On the contrary, Foreign Minister Marco Rubio seems to be enjoying at present a kind of political "immunity". According to the same information, the leading American diplomat avoided public criticism of the agreement and continues to maintain high rates of popularity within the government.
Opponent trends inside WashingtonA few weeks ago it had become known that a particularly intense meeting was held at the White House, during which there were serious disagreements between key government officials, even between Vice President J.D. Vance and Trump himself.
According to the report, Vance, special envoy Steve Whitkov and Jared Kushner, who participated in contacts with Iran, supported reaching an agreement with the Tehran regime. Their position was based on the assessment that the Iranian regime will not collapse in the near future, but also on the pressure exerted by certain Gulf countries, mainly Qatar.
On the other hand, Foreign Minister Marco Rubio and Defence Minister Pete Hegseth, with the support of senior Pentagon and State Department officials, argued that the Iranian regime is on the path of weakening due to economic pressure and that further strengthening of sanctions could lead to either a retreat from Tehran or even a change of status.
The final decision in favour of the agreementAccording to the same information, a critical meeting took place last week at which the final decision was taken. Trump decided to proceed with the Understanding Memorandum with Iran, eventually adopting the line that Vance and his envoys supported.
Finance Minister Scott Bessend, who warned that the full lifting of sanctions could cause problems if the US has to bring them back to the future. His intervention led to limited amendments to the terms, but without changing the overall direction of the agreement.
The report says that lifting part of the sanctions is expected to take place after the full reopening of the Straits of Hormuz, even without substantial additional concessions from Iran's side.
Disputes about Israel tooTrump reportedly adopted the position of Vice President Vance and his close associates and regarding Israel.
Although Vance publicly assured that the United States would continue to support Israel’s right to self-defense, the report pressured the president in person to restrict Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s moves.
The same sources argue that after every Israeli military operation in Lebanon, but also after the attack on Iran last week, Vance accused Netanyahu of deliberately attempting to undermine the shaped deal between Washington and Tehran.