A power shift has consolidated control of the Trump administration’s foreign policy under Secretary of State Marco Rubio, following an internal campaign that sidelined Presidential Envoy and longtime Trump friend, Steve Witkoff. Intelligence from senior diplomatic sources, shared with Iran Nuances, reveals a story of jealousy, sabotage, and strategic alliances that contradicts the administration’s carefully crafted public image of a dynamic duo.
Just weeks ago, in late August, major outlets like The Hill portrayed Rubio and Witkoff as a tag-team, a blend of political expertise and deal-making acumen shaping US foreign policy. They were pictured side-by-side during high-stakes summits, from meetings with Vladimir Putin in Alaska to calls with Ukrainian President Zelensky. Witkoff, a real estate mogul with no prior government experience, was lauded for his role as a special envoy, tasked with tackling the administration’s most sensitive files: a Gaza ceasefire, the war in Ukraine, and de-escalation with Iran.
But behind the scenes, a different and far more vicious story was unfolding. From the moment of Witkoff’s appointment, sources reveal, Secretary Rubio was resentful. “Rubio was jealous from the very beginning about Witkoff’s role in these important files,” a senior foreign diplomat told Iran Nuances. This initial jealousy metastasized into an all-out campaign to undermine the presidential envoy, confirming that Witkoff has now been “severely marginalized.”
A “Nightmare” Scenario and a Shared Enemy
The seeds of this conflict, sources say, were sown in a fundamental clash of objectives, particularly concerning Iran. While Witkoff was tasked with finding diplomatic off-ramps, his potential success was seen as a direct threat by both Rubio and his key international ally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Witkoff’s success on the Iran file was a real nightmare for Rubio,” an official with ties to the Secretary of State admitted. “And this nightmare was, of course, also Netanyahu’s nightmare. Therefore, what united Rubio and Netanyahu was the fear of a shared nightmare.”
This alliance became the engine of Witkoff’s downfall. A European diplomat stationed in Tehran detailed a systematic campaign of sabotage orchestrated by the Secretary of State. “In all three files assigned to Witkoff, Rubio thoroughly sabotaged him,” the diplomat revealed. “He used cheap tricks, like preventing relevant State Department experts from accompanying Witkoff or withholding necessary reports.”
The obstruction was brazen. “In one instance,” the source continued, “Witkoff wanted to consult with former US negotiator Richard Nephew, but Rubio sent a message through an intermediary telling Nephew not to do it,” an instruction Nephew reportedly ignored. A fourth source confirmed the objective: “The entire goal was to sideline Witkoff and discredit him in Trump’s eyes. And interestingly, for this purpose, he had Netanyahu’s full support.”
Failure, Frustration, and a Fateful Phone Call
Witkoff’s diplomatic inexperience and Rubio’s internal blockade created a perfect storm. As public reporting from think tanks like the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) noted, the Trump administration’s policies on Ukraine and Gaza were seen as faltering. These “gross failures to meet his boss’s expectations,” as one diplomat put it, provided Rubio with the ammunition he needed.
The breaking point came in a dramatic confrontation following Israel’s June 2025 attack against Iran including on the nuclear facilities – an act that followed a period of US-Iran de-escalation.
“Witkoff and J.D. Vance were furious,” a source recounted from a post-attack meeting. “Witkoff said the Israeli attack discredited him and the entire Trump administration.” While Vice President Vance supported him, Rubio defended the Israeli strike, accusingly telling Witkoff, “You had two months, but the Iranians played you.”
The ultimate power play occurred in that same meeting. “Apparently prompted by Rubio, Netanyahu joined the meeting through a call and berated Witkoff,” the source said, sealing the envoy’s fate and demonstrating the direct line of influence from Tel Aviv to the State Department.
The “Grand Regime-Changer”
With Witkoff neutralized, Rubio’s hawkish, interventionist vision for US foreign policy is now ascendant and unchallenged. His approach is seen as one that “skillfully aligns with Trump’s psychology” by favoring aggressive posturing over complex diplomacy.
Witkoff himself offered a scathing, private assessment of his rival. A fifth official told Iran Nuances, “Witkoff said recently that Rubio has effectively become Netanyahu’s arse-licker and is dragging America into war with everyone.”
According to this source, Rubio’s ultimate ambition is to cement a legacy as a “grand regime-changer.” “His entire ambition is to be remembered as the ‘grand regime-changer’ during his tenure. He wants to change the governments in Cuba and leftist South American countries, but for now, he has started with Venezuela.”
The semi-coup seems somehow complete. The businessman envoy, brought in to make deals, has been vanquished by the political ideologue and his powerful foreign ally. For the remainder of the Trump term, American foreign policy is unequivocally the Marco Rubio doctrine: aggressive, interventionist, and closely coordinated with its most hardline partners.
