June 20, 2025
President Trump has suddenly dumped three people involved in policy toward Iran—further evidence that Trump is distancing himself from Israel and from confrontation with Iran.
. . . dual national
The firings came before Israel’s air attacks on Iran and after Trump’s visit to three Arab countries in the Persian Gulf, where they told him they opposed any military attack on Iran, and after he had balked at Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s calls for a swift military attack on Iran.
The trio of displaced staffers are:
. . . known hardliner
• Eric Trager, no longer on the staff of the National Security Council dealing with the Middle East. Trager is cited as a hardliner on Iran policy. He also wrote a book in which he strongly criticized Qatar (one of the countries Trump visited) for financially supporting the Mus lim Brotherhood.
• Merav Ceran, who was the NSC staff director for Israel and Iran. She is a dual Israeli-American national who formerly worked for the Israeli Ministry of Defense and then came to Washington, DC, to work for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, the loudest organization in pressing for more pressure on Iran.
• Morgan Ortagus, who was appointed just weeks ago as the deputy to Steve Witkoff, who is in charge of the nuclear negotiations with Iran. Witkoff was reportedly unhappy with Ortagus, though it is not known why, and told Trump he wanted her removed as his deputy. Ortagus converted to Judaism several years ago.
. . . was Witkoff deputy
All three are known to staunchly opposed any compromise with Iran.
All of these firings have taken place since Michael Waltz was removed as national security adviser, reportedly because he was found working clandestinely with Israel on raising the tempo of confrontation with Iran, which Trump saw as disloyalty, a major crime in the Trump view.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio then took over as acting national security adviser and has been downsizing the NSC staff, which the State Department and Pentagon have always viewed as a rival.
Trump’s original staff included both traditional Republican hawks who seek confrontation with Iran and “America First” isolationists who are loyal to the Trump opposition to foreign entanglements.
Rubio himself is a traditional hawk but may have seen the handwriting on the wall and come to Jesus.
Vice President JD Vance, White House Chief of Staff Suzie Wiles and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard are the leading flag-bearers of the America First branch of the Trump Administration.