The Dictatorship
Trump diplomacy 2.0: A billionaire developer and a monarchy scramble longtime U.S. alliances
Nearly a year into his second term, President Donald Trump has effectively sidelined scores of diplomats and experts at the State Department and National Security Council and supplanted them with Steve Witkoff, a billionaire real estate developer who uses a private jet for diplomatic travelhas negotiated on a yacht and often works closely with the royal family of Qatar, a Persian Gulf nation smaller than Connecticut.
That reality has sent longtime U.S. allies scrambling to adjust to a new Trump 2.0 American diplomacy — a dramatic shift that extends far beyond upending the traditional alliances with Western European nations that guided the U.S. since World War II. Diplomats from around the world say it’s forcing an overhaul of their own diplomacy and foreign policies to accommodate an American president who appears to prefer working with monarchs and autocrats over leaders of democracies.
Trump administration officials say the narrow, streamlined approach is intentional, generating faster results with fewer people. Longtime diplomats say it’s a path fraught with risks — one that generates celebrated announcements but may inhibit longer-lasting outcomes.
“Compressed negotiations and centralized decisionmaking tend to sideline the broader coalition work required for a durable peace,” said David Cattler, a former senior NATO and Pentagon official. “When negotiations move faster than allied political alignment, particularly in Europe, the result is often a fragile agreement that struggles to hold over time.”
Trump administration officials dismissed the criticism and questioned the effectiveness of traditional approaches.
“It’s ironic that foreign diplomats complain more about President Trump’s efforts to end wars than Joe Biden’s inability to prevent them,” State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement. “Wars broke out under the so-called ‘experts,’ and wars are ending now under President Trump.”
An emirate as a U.S. conduit
The Trump administration’s relationship with Qatar — a nation roughly the size of Connecticut by landmass, with an annual GDP similar to Kansas’s — perhaps best exemplifies the new American diplomatic order. The emirate has proudly taken a leading role in U.S. negotiations with Russia and Ukraine and the drafting of peace agreements between Israel and Hamas, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, and Azerbaijan and Armenia, according to a Middle Eastern diplomat who spoke with MS NOW on the condition of anonymity to more freely provide insight into the growing depths of the White House’s reliance on Qatar.
“Qatar has proven to be the closest strategic ally to the U.S,” the diplomat said.
Qatari officials have essentially turned into Witkoff’s negotiating proxy. They helped prepare an initial 28-point framework proposal with the U.S. to end Russia’s war in Ukraine in early December. That’s a draft critics derided as a Russian “wish list” for requiring Ukraine, for example, to cede land not yet taken by Russian forces.
It’s a diplomatic role once helmed by State Department officials through carefully orchestrated interactions, but now reflects the president’s desire to rely on Middle East monarchies as more flexible, faster conduits.
“We can do stuff you guys cannot,” said the aforementioned Middle East diplomat. “We can speak to people who are designated as terrorists, but you can’t. We can allocate budget and resources for negotiation.”
“We can do stuff you guys cannot,” said the Middle East diplomat. “We can speak to people who are designated as terrorists, but you can’t.”
“You can’t, cause you have to seek budgetary approval and seek congressional approval,” the diplomat added.
Democratic members of Congress have criticized the approach as overly secretive and argue that the public deserves a clear sense of the Trump administration’s activities overseas. They have questioned business deals that the Trump and Witkoff families have struck with Qatarthe United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia while conducting diplomacy with them.
This fall, Qatari officials coordinated with the intelligence chiefs of both Egypt and Turkey to push forward direct talks with Hamas. They continue to do so. Over the summer, the Qataris hosted Witkoff on a yacht in the Riviera to engage with individuals party to the Israel-Hamas talks — an atypical venue for high-stakes talks but one which, the diplomat contended, “led to a historic deal that had never been done before.”
U.S. allies in the Middle East say the developments show the failure of traditional diplomatic approaches in recent years.
“President Trump’s methods have had concrete achievements,” a foreign official in the region told MS NOW. “Europe may not have the same risk tolerance or willingness to break the mold that U.S. allies in the Middle East have.”
The Trump administration brushed off concerns about Doha’s outsized influence on U.S. foreign policy, calling the Qataris “a great partner.”
“It’s a good thing that people who are responsible for sustained peace in the Middle East are engaging with critical partners in the region, and that’s how it should be done,” a White House official said.
Frustration over Ukraine
Multiple senior officials in Europe said in recent interviews in London and Brussels that peace talks for Ukraine have been complicated by the small size and top-down nature of Trump’s diplomatic team, which they said sidelines traditional U.S. government experts in diplomacy and national security.
European officials expressed bafflement at Witkoff’s continued prominent role in the Ukraine talks, citing his failure to sometimes bring his own translator to meetings or take detailed notes, and his lack of diplomatic experience. They expressed confidence in Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, and in Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
One European diplomat said officials on the continent are especially alarmed by Trump administration officials at times openly embracing Russia’s view of the war in Ukraine.
“You are in a situation where you are sitting with high American officials, and the speaking points you get are from Russia,” said the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity with MS NOW in order to convey their frustrations candidly.
European diplomats said they believe only two members of Trump’s inner circle — Witkoff and Kushner — can accurately convey Trump’s thinking and, most importantly to them, potentially influence it.
A White House official praised that approach. “This is not a top-down foreign policy apparatus,” the official told MS NOW. “It’s a feature, not a bug, that all foreign policy actions come from the President of the United States, who was elected, among other reasons, on the basis of his America First foreign policy agenda.”
Trump is “leaning on people who understand his thinking, who share his untraditional background, and the results at this point have been successful,” the official added.
A White House official said that after each meeting, Witkoff “briefs necessary national security officials” as well as the president, receives briefings from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence prior to diplomatic trips, and brings note-takers and translators into almost every meeting.
Rubio and Vice President JD Vance also provided feedback to Witkoff on the revised 20-point Ukraine peace plan prior to sharing it with Trump, the official said.
During a press conference on Friday, Rubio pushed back on the idea that Trump’s reliance on special envoys has sidelined State Department officials and diminished his own power as America’s top diplomat. He praised Witkoff, whom he described as “a phenomenal person, very smart, very talented.”
“Steve doesn’t do anything independently; he relies on the interagency” process, Rubio said, adding Witkoff is staffed by State employees “especially as we get to the technical parts of these agreements.”
“The synergy there is very tight across the board,” he said.
Talks with Iran
Trump’s reliance on Witkoff carries risks, critics say. A Persian Gulf diplomat not from Iran accused Witkoff of presenting a “bogus misrepresentation of himself as a ‘man of peace’” in negotiations last summer before Israel and the U.S. carried out airstrikes on Iran.
“Mr. Witkoff conducted himself in a manner not befitting the office he represented,” said the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
A second person who has knowledge of the talks and is not from Iran said Iranian officials now believe they were misled by the U.S. Iranians say the talks with Witkoff were a ruse designed to keep Iran from expecting and preparing for the strikes.
“It’s seen by the Iranians as an insult,” said the person with direct knowledge of the talks.
Iranian officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The White House defended Witkoff and denied the allegations.
“The special envoy is a good-faith actor in everything he does,” a White House official told MS NOW, adding Witkoff was actively working towards a deal and was “transparent with everyone.”
Witkoff’s continued role
The Middle Eastern diplomat who spoke with MS NOW predicted Trump and Witkoff will continue to rely heavily on America’s partners in the Middle East, saying Witkoff “respects us” and “trusts us.”
“We have proven we can deliver stuff to him,” the diplomat said.
The diplomat acknowledged Witkoff’s lack of traditional foreign policy experience, but said his close relationship with Trump gave him something invaluable: power.
“He doesn’t have the experience in diplomacy. He has zero. But he’s an excellent negotiator,” said the Middle Eastern diplomat. “Witkoff is powerful, and he can achieve these agreements.”
David Rohde
David Rohde is the senior national security reporter for MS NOW. Previously he was the senior executive editor for national security and law for NBC News.
Vaughn Hillyard is a senior White House reporter for MS NOW.
Julia Jester covers politics for MS NOW and is based in Washington, D.C.
Ian Sherwood is the director of international newsgathering for MS NOW, a former executive editor for NBC News and a former deputy Washington bureau chief for the BBC.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran again launched drone and missile attacks targeting Bahrainand Kuwaiton Sunday following new U.S. airstrikes against the Islamic Republic, and threatened a “complete halt” in negotiations to end the warif Washington continues its attacks.
Efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuzwithout Iran’s oversight has sparked days of crossfire. A multinational maritime body overseen by the U.S. Navy said Saturday it would expand a route near Omanfor inbound and outbound traffic.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday reiterated the claim that Tehran must govern the strait to the Persian Gulfthat once carried a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas.
“Any attempt to establish new or separate arrangements from those currently being carried out by the Islamic Republic of Iran will only lead to further complications, delay the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and increase the level of tension,” Araghchi said.
The strait has long been considered an international waterway despite its location in Iran and Oman’s territorial waters. In recent days, Iran has twice attacked vessels going through a route near the Omani side.
A Pakistani official involved in the technical talks between the U.S. and Iran told MS NOW Sunday that talks between the sides are on hold given the ongoing fighting between the two sides. The source, who did not want to be named to discuss the sensitive matter, said the U.S., Iran, Pakistan and Qatar all have representatives currently in Switzerland to restart discussions when instructed to do so.
But the Trump administration said nothing has been canceled and technical talks are on track for the coming days.
Talks include arrangements around the strait, the removal of a U.S. blockade on Iranian ports and sanctions on Iran, and the future of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The two sides have 60 days from their signing of the memorandum of understanding earlier this month to work out details.
Continued conflict in Lebanon threatens the agreement, which says fighting must end on all fronts before certain issues can be discussed.
Strikes target Gulf states hosting US military
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard claimed responsibility for the attacks in Bahrain and Kuwait.
Kuwait, which hosts a major U.S. military base, said air defenses intercepted Iranian drones and two missiles just after the U.S. strikes in Iran. There were no reports of injuries or damage.
Bahrain said the Iranian strikes damaged a residential building near the international airport and no one was killed. Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. The damaged building was not near its headquarters.
Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry denounced what it called “a dangerous escalation that reveals that what Tehran is doing is not a passing act, nor an isolated incident, but rather a deliberate approach and a systematic pattern of repeated aggression.”
Later on Sunday, Qatar said a civilian had been killed, and another person was hurt, by shrapnel related to “military operations in the area” after a vessel didn’t return at its scheduled time on Saturday. It did not give details.
Trump accuses Iran of violating ceasefire
The U.S. military said it struck Iranian military “surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defense sites, drone storage facilities and minelayer capabilities” following an attack on a ship on Saturday. The Panamanian-flagged tanker Kiku carried crude oil for the state-run energy company of Qatar, another key mediator.
U.S. President Donald Trump on social media accused Iran of violating the deal and warned of a point where the U.S. may “be forced to militarily complete the job.”
“If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!” Trump wrote.
The exchanges of fire began when an Iranian drone struck a merchant vesseloff Oman on Thursday and the U.S. military retaliated.
Ship traffic on the strait had increased over the past 72 hours, “despite the elevated threat environment,” the multinational maritime body overseen by the U.S. Navy said Sunday, adding that “U.S.-assisted commercial transits continued uninterrupted.”
It said 89 such transits had been made, below the historical average of 138 vessels a day.
Iran calls for new ‘conflict control unit’ in Lebanon
Last week, Israel and Lebanon signed a framework agreementto end the latest fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group, which began two days after the Iran war started when Hezbollah fired at Israel. Israel has responded with an invasion of southern Lebanon and it has said it will not withdraw until Hezbollah is disarmed.
The agreement did not include Iran or Hezbollah, which has criticized itand rejected calls to disarm.
On Sunday, Iran’s foreign minister again said the U.S. must force Israel to halt attacks and withdraw. Israel occupies around 600 square kilometers (231 square miles) in southern Lebanon, which it says it needs as a security buffer.
Sporadic clashes have continued, and Hezbollah’s leader said Saturday that the group would continue fighting until Israel withdraws from Lebanon.
Key Iranian negotiator and parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Sunday that a meeting of a new “conflict control unit” formed among Iran, the United States and Lebanon should meet as soon as possible, Iran’s state broadcaster reported.
Two strikes hit southern Lebanon on Sunday morning — one in Taybeh town and the other in the Nabatiyeh area, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. There was no immediate word on casualties.
Overnight, Hezbollah militants killed an Israeli soldier in Deir Siryan village in southern Lebanon, according to Israel’s military. Hezbollah did not comment.
Israel targets a village in Syria
Israel’s military targeted Abdin village in southern Syria’s Daraa province with artillery shelling Sunday evening, Syrian state media reported. There was no immediate report of casualties.
State news agency SANA earlier reported that residents had blocked the road into the village with stones to prevent Israeli forces from entering it again after they had entered and withdrawn.
Earlier Sunday, Israel’s military said it had killed several armed men in southern Syria but gave no details. There was no statement from Syrian officials.
Israel seized control of a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone in southern Syria in December 2024 following the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar Assad in an insurgent offensive. Israeli officials initially called the move temporary, but more recently they have said they plan to occupy the zone indefinitely.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has a message for political opponents using him as the new face of the Democratic Party: “Let them.”
Recent primary races in New York turned into a proxy war between progressives, including democratic socialists like Mamdani, and establishment Democratic politicians after candidates endorsed by Mamdani faced off against those endorsed by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. After all three of Mamdani’s endorsements bore fruit, a national spotlight shone on the mayor as a growing influence in the Democratic Party.
Asked on ABC News’ “This Week” on Sunday how he felt about Republicans making him the “poster child” for the Democratic Party, Mamdani said, “Let them. We don’t have to ask ourselves what life looks like if a socialist wins. I won last November, and over the course of these last six months, what we’ve delivered for working people are the very things we were told were impossible.”
He touted recent campaign promises he delivered on, including freezing rents for nearly one million rent-stabilized apartments, expanding free child care and filling potholes across the city.
“I think we are seeing a hunger that is not just felt by New Yorkers, but frankly by Americans from coast to coast for a new politics, one that puts working people at the heart of it,” Mamdani told ABC.
Mamdani dismissed criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike. Jeffries, who represents parts of Brooklyn and Queens, said last week that he and the mayor “agree to strongly disagree about some of his endorsements, and he’s got work to do in terms of the conversations that he’s going to have with members of Congress moving forward.” Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said, “The effort to nationalize New York is going to fail.”
Mamdani said he’s focused on the three congressional candidates he has already endorsed: Brad LanderDarializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez. But he didn’t rule out future endorsements outside of New York.
“It’s not just New York City where working people are asking themselves ‘why can’t I afford my rent, why can’t I afford my groceries, why can’t I find enough money in my pocket for childcare no matter how hard I work?,’” Mamdani said.
When asked about a recent manifesto penned by a number of moderate House Democrats and Democratic candidates, promoting capitalism over socialism, Mamdani doubled down on his vision for the party.
“I’m not interested in writing a manifesto, or frankly, in reading one,” the mayor said. “I’m interested in delivering.”
Mamdani also criticized Democrats who continue to make antagonizing Trump the center of their politics rather than working people.
“You’ve got to have something that you are not just willing to stand up for, but that you’re also willing to explain how this is relevant to working people,” he said. “And I think this just comes back to the fact that I’m leading a city that’s the wealthiest city in the wealthiest country in the history of the world. I could end the sentence there and say that life is great for 8.5 million people. But it’s also a city where one in four are living in poverty. And for far too many Americans, those contradictions have become their day to day life.”
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.
Despite remaining undefeated in the initial round of the World Cupthe Iran national team is going home after failing to secure enough points to advance. But they do not leave quietly.
Iran’s tumultuous journey in the World Cup has been the subject of widespread attention amid the U.S. war with Iran, with the United States being one of three countries hosting matches. The Iranian team captain, Mehdi Taremi, blamed FIFA, saying, “It’s a disaster World Cup. A disaster.”
“I mean, FIFA, they have to solve every problem here but unfortunately they could not solve it since the beginning,” Taremi said at a press conference Friday after his team drew with Egypt, knocking Iran out of the tournament.
He pointed to the team’s biggest obstacle. “We don’t have our logistics people here. They don’t have a visa,” Taremi said, adding, “We always complain about these things but no one helps. No one.”
The Trump administration denied visas to key Iranian staff and severely restricted players’ travel. The team’s base camp was moved from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, where it was required to return immediately after each game.
“How is it possible we always have to travel from Tijuana? We love the people in Tijuana. We love Mexico,” the Iran team captain said, but added, “It’s not fair.”
Throughout the tournament, the Football Federation of Iran lamented the number of issues, threatening to lodge a formal complaint against FIFA. Head coach Amir Ghalenoei called his team the “most oppressed” in the tournament. A few days before Iran’s final match against Egypt in Seattle on Friday, the U.S. loosened travel restrictions to allow players to enter the United States two days before the game.
“The Iran team will still be required to leave the day the match ends,” the Department of Homeland Security said ahead of the match. “The overall security measures and protocol are the same. We remain committed to providing the safest tournament possible for players, staff, and fans alike.”
Still, Iran finished Group G in third place with three points earned after drawing in its matches against Belgium, New Zealandand Egypt. Under FIFA’s new 48-team format, the top eight of third-place teams move on to the next round, but Iran narrowly fell short.
The team initially seemed poised to advance when it was tied with the same amount of points as Algeria, which scored a goal in stoppage-time against Austria Saturday night. But moments later, Austria tied the game, guaranteeing Iran’s elimination.
Off the field, tensions with Iran heightened Friday when the U.S. struck Iran despite signing a memorandum of understanding meant to halt hostilities in order to finalize a peace deal.
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.
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