Dismissal of National Security Advisor Mike Waltz reportedly connected to Iran policy and secret coordination with Israeli PM Netanyahu

The recently fired U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz reportedly angered President Donald Trump with his embrace of hardline policies toward the Islamic Republic of Iran.

“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,” an unnamed official told The Washington Post.

“It got back to Trump, and the president wasn’t happy with it,” the official added.

One Trump advisor reportedly compared Waltz’s actions to political insubordination: “If Jim Baker was doing a side deal with the Saudis to subvert George H.W. Bush, you’d be fired.”

“You can’t do that. You work for the president of your country, not a president of another country,” another official said.

Additionally, Trump was said to be frustrated by Waltz’s reported “intense coordination” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding a potential military strike on Iran’s nuclear sites ahead of Netanyahu’s February meeting with Trump.

The Prime Minister’s Office denied having had “intensive contact” with Waltz. However, in a February post on 𝕏, it confirmed that Netanyahu had met with Waltz and Steve Witkoff ahead of the Trump meeting, stating: “Prime Minister Netanyahu had a warm meeting with Mike Waltz and Steve Witkoff at Blair House in February, prior to his meeting with President Trump at the White House.”

Waltz was widely seen as part of the Trump administration’s hawkish faction, advocating military action against the Iranian regime and its covert nuclear facilities.

In December, after his appointment, Waltz pledged that the administration would adopt a more aggressive Iran policy following Trump’s re-election in November 2024.

“You’re going to see a huge shift on Iran,” Waltz stated. “We have to constrain their cash. We have to constrain their oil. We have to go back to maximum pressure, number one, which was working under the first Trump administration.”

His hardline stance reportedly clashed with more moderate voices inside the administration who favored diplomacy.

While Trump was reportedly uneasy with Waltz’s approach to Iran, his decision to dismiss him was reportedly triggered by a communications mishap dubbed “Signalgate,” in which Waltz mistakenly included The Atlantic's editor in a group chat that revealed sensitive information about U.S. strikes on Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen.

Trump’s long-term Iran strategy remains unclear. In late March, he warned that unless Tehran agreed to a new nuclear deal, “There will be bombing. It will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before.”

He has also vowed to hold Tehran accountable for ongoing aggression by its Houthi proxy.

Despite his public openness to diplomacy, Trump has not ruled out the use of military force to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Some Israeli officials are increasingly concerned that Trump may repeat what they view as the diplomatic missteps of the Obama administration.

In a recent interview with Time Magazine, Trump denied blocking an Israeli military operation against Iran.

“I didn’t stop them,” he said. “But I didn’t make it comfortable for them, because I think we can make a deal without the attack. I hope we can.”

While expressing optimism about a potential agreement, Trump added that he would not hesitate to lead military action if talks failed.

“You asked if he’d drag me in, like I’d go in unwillingly. No, I may go in very willingly if we can't get a deal. If we don't make a deal, I'll be leading the pack.”