Rupert Murdoch has been privately venting frustration over President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East and his handling of nuclear negotiations with Iran, according to a report.
The media mogul has expressed dismay over Steve Witkoff—Trump’s longtime friend and a former real estate magnate—to his inner circle and is privately briefing against him, Politico reports.
Despite having no experience in foreign policy, Witkoff was tapped by Trump to lead high-stakes talks aimed at limiting Iran’s nuclear ambitions and uranium enrichment. He’s also been involved in ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, and has taken on an expanding role in peace efforts between Russia and Ukraine.
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The detail on Murdoch’s alleged disapproval of Witkoff was part of a wider report on MAGA loyalists’ efforts to stop Trump from striking any kind of nuclear deal with Iran, and to approve an Israeli-led strike on Tehran.
At a private White House lunch last week, conservative talk show host Mark Levin told Trump that Iran already had enough weapons-grade uranium to build a nuclear bomb and was just “days away” from doing so—a claim Trump’s own team had to clarify wasn’t true.
In response, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told the Daily Beast: “President Trump has always been willing to listen to a wide range of voices on every issue – but ultimately, he is the final decision maker. With respect to Iran, President Trump has made his own opinion clear: he would like to pursue diplomacy and make a deal, but if Iran makes a deal impossible, President Trump has other options on the table.”
Levin has been a vocal critic of Witkoff, blasting him for negotiating with what he calls the “warmonger Iranian terrorist regime.”
MAGA loyalists are said to be closely monitoring Murdoch-owned outlets for negative coverage of Witkoff to strengthen their case against him.
The New York Post, which Murdoch has owned since 1976, has been especially harsh.
A story in April featured multiple insider quotes questioning whether Witkoff is up to the job, and accusing him of spreading himself too thin across his many assignments.
That same month, The Post published an opinion piece by Douglas Murray, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, claiming Witkoff has “not helped matters” in any talks and is working in the interests of “the terrorist-loving state of Qatar.”
Trump administration insiders are frustrated by the attacks on Witkoff—accusing them of undermining a possible deal with Iran—as well as the attempts from MAGA loyalists to lean on Trump to green-light an Israel-led attack on Tehran.
“They’re trying to push the president to make a decision that’s not what he wants,” a senior Trump official told Politico. “There’s clearly a lobby for war with Iran versus those who are more aligned with the president, who know he’s the one that’s actually brought them to the table.”
