U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth attend President Donald Trump's meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 3, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Insiders revealed to Middle East Eye on Wednesday that two of the Trump administration's top cabinet members are "at each other's throats" over the recent bombing campaign in Iran.
According to the report, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have been described as being “at each other's throats” over whether to send U.S. troops to Iran. The report was published at a time when the White House had said putting troops on the ground in Iran is "not part of the plan" for now, although it has signaled that it plans to stay in the fight until the U.S. achieves its objectives.
"Hegseth is supportive of the position, while Rubio is deeply wary of entangling the US in a long war, the sources told MEE," according to the report.
"One Gulf official told MEE that US officials have discussed sending special operations teams into Iran to target senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officials and people familiar with Iran's nuclear program," it added.
Early Saturday, the U.S. and Israeli troops coordinated strikes on more than 100 sites across Iran, an operation that killed multiple of the country's top military and political leaders. Six U.S. military members have died as a result of retaliatory strikes in the region following the operation, according to reports.