Trump envoy Steve Witkoff calls out neocons pushing for war with Iran

The comments come as more hawkish establishment conservatives are orchestrating a campaign to oppose the Trump administration’s diplomacy with Iran.

President Trump’s foreign policy envoy on Thursday criticized those who are trying to undermine the president’s negotiations to place limits on Iran’s nuclear program, saying they have a “bias toward military action,” adding that he and Trump instead wanted to put diplomacy first in U.S. foreign relations.

“In their minds, anything that is of a military nature to be a solution to that problem, they have a bias towards that. They give no consideration whatsoever on what the consequences are on that,” envoy Steven Witkoff said during an interview with Breitbart. “The neocon element believes that war is the only way to solve things.”

Trump “believes in peace through strength, which essentially means that resorting to violence and war is not necessarily in the best interest of the country and not necessarily the best way to effect truces, ceasefires, permanent peace — whatever we want to call it,” Witkoff added. “Dialogue and diplomacy are an avenue he wants to pursue each and every time because if he can get to a successful resolution that’s in the best interest of the United States.”

Witkoff’s comments come as more hawkish establishment conservatives are orchestrating a campaign to oppose the Trump administration’s diplomacy with Iran. But the White House and its allies are pushing back.

More recently, Trump reportedly fired his national security adviser Mike Waltz because Waltz was pushing for war with Iran in internal conversations on the issue. And Trump allies outside the administration — like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and conservative media star Tucker Carlson — have been increasingly vocal in criticizing Iran hawks.

READ: Israel ‘desperately needs’ US to wage war on Iran to rescue Netanyahu, ex-diplomat warns

Meanwhile, House and Senate Republicans this week started pushing their colleagues to call for only a full dismantlement of Iran’s program.

Witkoff appeared to push back on that effort during his interview with Breitbart while stressing a diplomacy-first approach.

Reprinted with permission from Responsible Statecraft.

Related Topics:#LifeSiteNews PresidentTrumpIran StavroulaPabst USIranNegotiations USMiddleEastEnvoySteveWitkoff

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Trump warns Russia not to give Iran nukes after US bombing run

Business / 7 hours ago

Trump reins in oil markets with one Truth Social post

International / 7 hours ago

Iran targets U.S. military in Qatar, attacks thwarted

conflict

Trump warns Russia not to give Iran nukes after US bombing run

Published on June 23, 2025

Todayville

From LifeSiteNews

By Calvin Freiburger

Former Russian President Medvedev suggested other countries could give Iran nukes; Donald Trump warned him not to use the ‘N word’ so ‘casually.’

President Donald Trump issued a stern warning to former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev Monday after the latter suggested that other nations might supply Iran with nuclear weapons in the wake of America’s surprise weekend strike against the Iranian nuclear program.

Business Insider reports that Medvedev, who now serves as an advisor to current Russian President Vladimir Putin, condemned the U.S. operation to bomb Iran’s three main nuclear facilities, which Trump only announced Saturday evening after its completion following Israeli strikes based on their assessment that the Islamist regime was too close to completing a nuclear weapon to wait any longer.

“A number of countries are ready to directly supply Iran with their own nuclear warheads,” Medvedev claimed.

Business Insider spoke to several experts who cast doubt on the claim, citing both technical infeasibility and the political ramifications, but Trump took a more strident approach in response.

“Did I hear Former President Medvedev, from Russia, casually throwing around the ‘N word’ (Nuclear!), and saying that he and other Countries would supply Nuclear Warheads to Iran? Did he really say that or, is it just a figment of my imagination?” Trump asked via Truth Social. “If he did say that, and, if confirmed, please let me know, IMMEDIATELY. The ‘N word’ should not be treated so casually. I guess that’s why Putin’s ‘THE BOSS.’”

“By the way, if anyone thinks our ‘hardware’ was great over the weekend, far and away the strongest and best equipment we have, 20 years advanced over the pack, is our Nuclear Submarines,” the president added. “They are the most powerful and lethal weapons ever built, and just launched the 30 Tomahawks — All 30 hit their mark perfectly. So, in addition to our Great Fighter Pilots, thank you to the Captain and Crew!”

For his part, “the boss” of Russia has also condemned the U.S. strike, offering unspecified “assistance to the Iranian people” and touting the Kremlin’s alliance with the Iranian regime, while claiming it would ultimately “stay neutral,” citing the large number of former Soviet subjects who reside in Israel.

Trump’s action has sparked a fierce divide between his online supporters. One faction contends the move was necessary to prevent nuclear war and consistent with the president’s position dating back to 2011, while the other calls it a betrayal of MAGA’s populist faction that could potentially escalate tensions and U.S. involvement in the region.

International

Iran targets U.S. military in Qatar, attacks thwarted

Published on June 23, 2025

Todayville

A Qatari Emiri Air Force C-17 Globemaster III, carrying humanitarian aid donations bound for Beirut, Lebanon, takes off from Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, Aug. 13, 2020. Over the past week, U.S. military families and members of the local community worked together to collect donations of food, clothing, diapers and toiletries to support the people of Lebanon.

Staff Sgt. Lauren Parsons, U.S. Air Force | DVIDS

From The Center Square

By Sarah Roderick-Fitch

Iran has shot multiple missiles targeting U.S. military bases in Qatar.

It appears the missiles were intercepted in the air, according to the Qatari Ministry of Defense.

“The Ministry of Defense announced that Qatari air defenses successfully intercepted a missile attack targeting Al-Udeid Air base,” according to a statement from the Ministry of Defense.

The attacks are in retaliation for Saturday evening’s U.S. strikes. At the time of publication, there haven’t been any reports of ground strikes.

Iranian state media confirms the attack in response to the U.S. striking three of Iran’s most prominent nuclear facilities over the weekend.

As reported by The Center Square, Israel maintains air superiority over Iran, likely providing an advantage to allies.

Americans in Qatar were told to shelter in place while the country had shut down airspace prior to the missile strikes.

The Gulf nation sits directly across from Iran on the Persian Gulf, well within close striking distance.

The missile strikes came as President Donald Trump was scheduled to meet with his national security team at the White House.

After Saturday night’s strikes, Trump sent a warning to Iran not to retaliate against the U.S.

“Any retaliation by Iran against the United States of America will be met with force far greater than what was witnessed tonight,” the president posted to Truth Social.

Before the Israeli strikes against Iran on June 12, the U.S. Department of Defense urged military dependents to evacuate from U.S. bases in the Middle East.

This is a developing story.