REUTERS/Megan Varner/File Photo
Behind closed doors, some prominent conservatives potentially including media mogul Rupert Murdoch are pressuring President Donald Trump to support an Israeli military strike on Iran. But according to sources cited by Politico, Trump is resisting those calls, prioritizing diplomatic efforts instead.
The pressure campaign has intensified in recent days. During a private lunch at the White House last Wednesday, conservative radio host Mark Levin reportedly warned Trump that Iran was just “days away from building a nuclear weapon” a claim U.S. intelligence agencies have disputed.
“During a private lunch with the president at the White House last Wednesday, conservative talk show host Mark Levin told Trump that Iran was days away from building a nuclear weapon, an argument Trump’s own intelligence team has told the president is not accurate,” a U.S. intelligence official and another Trump ally told Politico.
Levin pushed for Trump to greenlight an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities a move the president has warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could destroy ongoing diplomatic negotiations.
Levin has also been publicly critical of Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy and a longtime friend leading the nuclear talks. Levin’s attacks have echoed across conservative media, particularly Murdoch’s New York Post, which has published insinuations that Witkoff is tied to Qatar. A source close to the matter told Politico that Murdoch himself has been privately complaining about Witkoff’s diplomatic efforts.
“They’re trying to push the president to make a decision that’s not what he wants,” a senior administration official said. “There’s clearly a lobby for war with Iran vs. those who are more aligned with the president, that know he is the one that has been able to bring them to the negotiating table.”
The pressure campaign even caught the attention of former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who accused Levin of trying to drag the U.S. into another war. “There is zero credible intelligence that suggests Iran is anywhere near building a bomb, or has plans to. None,” Carlson tweeted. “So why is Mark Levin once again hyperventilating about weapons of mass destruction?”
Despite the mounting pressure, Trump’s allies believe he won’t bend. “Levin and Murdoch are all over Trump all the time — I actually think they hurt their case because I know Trump,” one confidant said. “Once he’s kind of made his mind up… you keep pressing, he digs in.”
While Trump recently expressed doubts about Iran’s demands, his team reiterated that he remains committed to diplomacy. “With respect to Iran, President Trump has made his own opinion clear: he would like to pursue diplomacy and make a deal,” said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. “But IF Iran makes a deal impossible, President Trump has other options on the table.”
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