Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office just dropped a bombshell denial of a Washington Post report claiming “intensive contact” with ousted U.S. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz over military strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites.
According to the New York Post, Netanyahu’s team is pushing back hard against allegations of deep discussions with Waltz, while President Donald Trump’s reported fury over the supposed talks has led to Waltz’s replacement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a new nomination as U.S. Ambassador to the UN.
Let’s rewind to February 2025, when Netanyahu had what his office called a “warm meeting” with Waltz and Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff at Blair House, just before a sit-down with Trump at the White House on February 4.
Shortly after, Waltz joined Vice President JD Vance for another meeting with Netanyahu before heading out of Washington, and since then, there was just one phone call with Waltz and Witkoff that, according to Netanyahu’s office, didn’t even touch on Iran.
“Contrary to the Washington Post report, PM Netanyahu did not have intensive contact with Mike Waltz on Iran,” stated Netanyahu’s team. Well, that’s a firm line in the sand, but it does beg the question—why the fuss over a few chats if there’s nothing to hide?
Meanwhile, on February 18, Witkoff was busy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, meeting with Rubio, Waltz, and Russian officials at Diriyah Palace, though no word on whether Iran was on the table there either.
Fast forward to March 11, when Waltz was in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with a Ukrainian delegation discussing a partial ceasefire with Russia, showing his role stretched far beyond just Iran policy.
By April 15, Netanyahu was in northern Gaza, reminding the world that his past actions, in his words, stopped Iran from getting a nuclear weapon “10 years ago.” A bold claim, but it’s clear he’s not backing down from his hardline stance.
Then came May 1, with Rubio meeting French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot in Washington, D.C., likely smoothing over diplomatic ripples while the Iran issue loomed large in the background.
The real drama hit on May 20, when Waltz told The Post that Trump was open to “all options” to stop Iran from going nuclear. Sounds reasonable, but apparently, it didn’t sit right with the boss.
Just two days later, on May 22, Trump replaced Waltz with Rubio as acting National Security Adviser—the first to hold both that role and Secretary of State since Henry Kissinger—and nominated Waltz as U.S. Ambassador to the UN. Talk about a swift pivot; turns out, clashing with Trump’s diplomatic-first approach on Iran has consequences.
“It got back to Trump, and the president wasn’t happy with it,” an unnamed source spilled to The Post. If true, this suggests Waltz’s hawkish tendencies might’ve ruffled more feathers than just those in Tehran.
Trump himself has been vocal, telling Time magazine he won’t let the U.S. be “dragged into” a war with Iran, emphasizing a deal over bombs. “I didn’t make it comfortable for them, but I didn’t say no,” he added. That’s classic Trump—keeping everyone guessing while holding a firm line.
Netanyahu’s office, for its part, congratulated Waltz on his UN nomination, signaling no hard feelings despite the controversy.
“We congratulate Mr. Waltz on his important appointment,” they noted. A classy move, but it doesn’t erase the tension over what went down in those talks, or lack thereof.
