Trump Fires National Security Advisor Mike Waltz Over Secret Talks with Netanyahu on Iran

President Donald Trump has dismissed his National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz, over unauthorised backchannel communications with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding potential military action against Iran. According to reports from U.S. media, including The Washington Post, the dismissal stemmed from a series of undisclosed conversations that Waltz held with Israeli officials — talks that ran counter to Trump’s diplomatic approach.

Secret Conversations and Military Planning

Sources within the Trump administration revealed that Mike Waltz conducted private discussions with Netanyahu and Israeli intelligence about the possibility of striking Iran’s nuclear facilities. These talks, held without Trump’s knowledge or approval, included discussing operational scenarios and intelligence coordination. The timing was particularly sensitive, just weeks before Netanyahu’s scheduled visit to Washington in February.

“It got back to Trump, and the president wasn’t happy with it. Waltz wanted to take U.S. policy in a direction Trump wasn’t comfortable with because the U.S. hadn’t attempted a diplomatic solution,” one source told The Washington Post.

Some in the administration saw these covert actions as an effort to derail ongoing negotiations between the U.S. and Iran over reviving a nuclear deal. Trump, who has positioned himself as preferring diplomacy over military engagement in the region, viewed the communications as a policy overreach and a betrayal.

Security Breach Deepens the Fallout

Mike Waltz’s fate was sealed by his foreign policy manoeuvring and a critical security lapse. Trump reassigned Mike Waltz as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. In a significant breach of protocol, Mike Waltz reportedly included a journalist in a secure group chat where highly sensitive information was discussed. Although no classified material was exposed, the incident further eroded trust in Mike Waltz’s judgment and handling of national security matters.

Trump reassigned Mike Waltz as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations in a move seen as strategic damage control rather than outright punishment. This reshuffling has fueled speculation that Trump wanted to avoid a public confrontation while quietly neutralising an internal threat to his Iran strategy.

A Shift in U.S. Foreign Policy Leadership

In the wake of Mike Waltz’s dismissal, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has taken on the role of Acting National Security Advisor, consolidating significant foreign policy authority under one figure. The Israeli government downplayed the incident, claiming that contact with Mike Waltz was routine. However, multiple sources assert that Netanyahu and Mike Waltz shared a common urgency over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, leading to more substantive discussions than Israel acknowledges.

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America First or Israel First?

The episode highlights a broader internal rift over how aggressively the U.S. should confront Iran. Some within Donald Trump’s orbit push for hardline measures, often aligning with Israeli interests, while others — including Trump himself — resist deeper entanglements in the Middle East.

Critics argue that Mike Waltz’s backdoor dealings were less about U.S. national interest and more about advancing Israeli priorities, challenging the core of Donald Trump’s “America First” doctrine.

As tensions in the Middle East rise and the administration reorients its foreign policy team, observers await further clarification from Trump, likely during his upcoming visit to the region later this month.