President Donald Trump’s decision to kick off the U.S. war against Iran last month was motivated, in part, by “pressure from outside allies,” multiple insiders told Bloomberg in its report Saturday, a revelation that sparked a fierce rebuttal from the Trump administration.
Speaking with Bloomberg on the condition of anonymity, the insiders claimed that Trump was under pressure to strike Iran from at least two individuals outside his administration: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – who’s wanted by the International Court of Justice for alleged war crimes – and Rupert Murdoch, the billionaire conservative media mogul and architect of Fox News.
“[Murdoch] communicated with Trump several times as he urged the president to take on Tehran, according to one person briefed on their interactions,” Bloomberg’s report reads.
“Meanwhile, some of Trump’s closest advisers were more muted about the prospect of an armed conflict, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, the people said.”
When asked for comment, a State Department spokesperson accused Bloomberg’s sources of “not knowing what they are talking about,” and “pretending that they do.”
“There is no division,” said State Department spokesperson Tommy Piggot, speaking with Bloomberg. “President Trump is making the world safer, and the entire administration is lockstep in that effort.”
In spite of Piggot’s claim, division did exist within the Trump administration over the Iran war, made evident with the recent resignation of Joe Kent, the head of the National Counterterrorism Center, who stepped down from his position in protest and alleged that Trump was manipulated by Israel into launching the conflict.
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