A senior national security adviser to Donald Trump is preparing to step down as the conflict with Iran intensifies and new strikes target U.S. allies near the Strait of Hormuz.
Andy Baker, the White House deputy national security adviser and a longtime confidant of JD Vance, is expected to leave the administration within weeks, Axios reported.
Baker has been a key architect of Trump’s foreign policy agenda over the past 18 months, helping shape strategy and carry it out across several major flashpoints. His unexpected exit follows only days after Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that she, too, would resign.
He also played a prominent role in the administration’s now-frozen diplomatic efforts with Iran, including work on the Memorandum of Understanding signed in June.
Tehran has since abandoned that agreement and carried out attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow but crucial shipping lane through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply travels.
On Thursday night, the regime launched explosive suicide drones at two oil tankers operated by Abu Dhabi’s state-owned oil company in the Persian Gulf.
The tankers suffered only minor damage and no injuries were reported. Still, the United Arab Emirates denounced the assault as piracy and warned that it posed a serious threat to global energy security.
The strike comes as maritime traffic through the strategic chokepoint remains sharply reduced while Tehran claims control over the route. Shipping data showed nine commodity vessels transited the strait on Thursday, down from an August daily average of 12. Before the war, more than 100 vessels typically passed through the waterway each day.
One of Donald Trump’s top national security advisers is resigning as the war with Iran escalates, with fresh attacks on US allies in the Strait of Hormuz
Andy Baker with a Turkish official in Washington, DC, in February
Baker was a longtime aide and adviser to Vice President JD Vance
Iran says it controls and manages the Strait. The US says it can maintain its naval blockade indefinitely, aimed at forcing Tehran back to the negotiating table as ceasefire talks stall.
Baker has been a key figure in advising Trump on how to maintain the blockade against Iran, and is also a vocal China hawk.
He is reportedly telling those close to him that he is leaving to spend more time with his family, and that he stayed on longer than planned to ensure an orderly transition, per Axios.
‘This has been an amazing journey. I’m proud of everything we’ve achieved and, of course, am incredibly grateful to the President, Vice President, and Secretary Rubio,’ Baker told Axios.
Baker began his career at the State Department before joining then-Senator Vance’s office as his national security adviser and following him to the White House.
Vance personally praised his former aide after the resignation was announced: ‘Andy is an exceptionally gifted, deeply thoughtful advisor who has served the President and me with distinction.
‘He has been an indispensable member of our administration’s national security team.’
The policy Baker oversaw remains an ongoing headache for the President, with gas prices and inflation still elevated in the US amid the chaos surrounding Hormuz.
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His departure comes days after Karoline Leavitt announced her own resignation
Tehran has since walked away from Trump’s peace deal, attacking vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that carries roughly a fifth of the world’s oil
Baker played a critical role in crafting and executing Trump’s foreign policy over the past 18 months
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading at $87 per barrel Friday after falling to $70 per barrel last month on hopes of a peace deal.
The national average gas price stands at more than $4 per gallon in the US.
The rising prices have added inflationary pressure on families as Trump prepares for midterm elections in less than three months.
