President Trump seems to be drawing his strategy on Iran not from his official Cabinet, but rather from influential figures outside of his immediate circle. This has resulted in a notable silence from some of his key advisors.

Among those advising caution are Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, who reportedly have been less vocal about supporting military action in Iran or deploying American soldiers.

It appears that Trump’s campaign against Iran is perceived by some of his closest advisors as being ‘misguided.’ Yet, few have openly criticized the plan to his face, despite their reservations about the chosen course of action.

Behind the scenes, influential figures such as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, along with some prominent conservative commentators, have been encouraging a more aggressive stance towards Iran. These insights were shared by individuals familiar with the discussions, who requested anonymity when speaking to Bloomberg.

This dynamic has created an unusual situation where external voices seem to wield more influence over Trump’s Iran policy than his own Cabinet members, highlighting a complex interplay between public policy and private persuasion.

Direct dissent was virtually non-existent; rarely did anyone label the plan as misguided to the president’s face, even if they disagreed with the direction he was taking the war. 

While Wiles focused on clarifying the President’s strategic alternatives, Vance pushed for blunt honesty from senior officials, reportedly interrogating the logistical realities and long-term mechanics of a potential conflict.

State Department spokesperson Tommy Piggot responded to reports of a rift, saying it’s ‘an old familiar story of people not knowing what they are talking about, pretending that they do. There is no division. President Trump is making the world safer, and the entire administration is lockstep in that effort.’

‘What he wanted for his advisers in his second term was people who were more amenable just to saying, ‘Yes, sir’ when he wanted to do X or Y, as opposed to people who said, ‘Have you considered this or that or the other thing,’ said Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton.

As the conflict crosses the one-month mark, the weight of the President’s decision is becoming clear. His administration now teeters on the edge of a systemic crisis, grappling with alienated allies and volatile energy prices—all while Republican strategists eye a darkening horizon for the November midterms.

Iranian Red Crescent emergency workers use a bulldozer to clear rubble from a residential building that was hit in an earlier US-Israeli strike in Tehran on Monday

Trump speaks with CIA Director John Ratcliffe, accompanied by White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during military operations in Iran, at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort

Smoke and flames rise at the site of airstrikes on an oil depot in Tehran

President Trump’s Iran policy is reportedly shaped less by his cabinet than by external influences, while his West Wing inner circle has remained notably quiet on the matter

But within Trump’s cabinet, some of the people closest to him were reportedly more ‘muted’ about military engagement with Iran. Those advisors include Secretary of State Marco Rubio , Vice President JD Vance and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles

Meanwhile, Iran is now taunting Trump after he claimed the US was halting strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure following what he called ‘very good’ peace talks with Tehran

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has argued against this, saying it’s a well-known fact that President Trump always ‘wants to hear the honest opinions of everyone in the room.’

‘Anyone who has actually been present for meetings with him will tell you he often solicits the opinions of all of his advisers, no matter their title or expertise, asking, ‘What do you think?’ And he expects honest feedback,’ Leavitt explained.

Like Trump said last Friday: ‘I have much more power in my second term.’

Republican anxiety is mounting over the war’s potential to cannibalize their electoral margins, particularly as the November midterms increasingly hinge on volatile economic sentiment and the rising cost of living.

The administration’s shift toward conflict has drawn fierce backlash from influential voices like Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson. For months, both have leveraged their video broadcasts to hammer the president for abandoning his ‘America First’ principles in favor of a new foreign entanglement.

On the flip side, some conservative figures in the media like Senator Lindsey Graham and Mark Levin continue to push a full-force for the war with Iran.

Even those within Trump’s advisory circle who once voiced opposition to military action have stayed quiet. Testifying before Congress last week, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard deferred entirely to Trump, asserting that the President remains the ‘only person’ capable of determining if Iran continues to pose an ‘imminent threat.

Direct dissent was virtually non-existent; rarely did anyone label the plan as misguided to the president’s face, even if they disagreed with the direction he was taking the war

Emergency personnel work at the site of a strike on a residential building in Tehran

Privately, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , media magnate Rupert Murdoch , and several conservative voices have urged Trump to strike Iran, according to sources familiar with the discussions who spoke on the condition of anonymity to Bloomberg

An Iranian official told Fars News Agency, which is aligned with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, that there is ‘no direct or indirect contact with Trump’

An explosion erupts following strikes near Azadi Tower close to Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran on March 7

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu, accompanied by Dimona Mayor, Benny Biton, speak to media while visiting the area destroyed by an Iranian ballistic missile last night, leaving over 50 wounded residents on March 22

Meanwhile, Iran is now taunting Trump after he claimed the US was halting strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure following what he called ‘very good’ peace talks with Tehran.

An Iranian official told Fars News Agency, which is aligned with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, that there is ‘no direct or indirect contact with Trump’.

The anonymous source said Trump backed down after ‘hearing that our targets would include all power stations in West Asia.’

Iranian Major General Abdollahi said: ‘The use of a new, secret weapon will begin soon and it will bring an end to the enemy’s operations.’

The taunts came just minutes after Trump claimed the two countries had held ‘productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities.’

US and Iranian diplomats have previously clashed over the regime’s ballistic missile and nuclear enrichment programs, as well as their current defense stockpiles.