United States National Security Council

The National Security Council (NSC) is the principal White House body for coordinating US national security and Foreign Policy. In the 2026 Iran conflict, the NSC oversaw planning for Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner's Pakistan trip ahead of a planned Oman-mediated talks round, before Trump cancelled the delegation in favour of demanding direct phone contact from Iran.

The NSC is chaired by the President with the National Security Adviser as day-to-day coordinator. In Trump's second term, formal NSC process and Witkoff's informal envoy channel operate in parallel on the Iran track.

The NSC's 2026 Iran portfolio spans military command authority, OFAC designation coordination, and the diplomatic track through Oman. The Pakistan trip planning indicated NSC readiness to extend talks regionally before the Truth Social intervention shifted the US position.

The National Security Council (NSC) is the principal forum within the Executive Office of the President for coordinating US national security and Foreign Policy. Established by the National Security Act of 1947, it is chaired by the President, with statutory members including the Vice President and the Secretaries of State and Defense. Day-to-day work runs through the National Security Adviser and the NSC staff, which prepares options and coordinates policy across the State Department, Pentagon and intelligence community via the Principals and Deputies Committees.

In Trump's second term, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has held the National Security Adviser role concurrently since 2025, an unusual dual-hat arrangement last held by Henry Kissinger in the 1970s, with Mike Needham promoted to Deputy National Security Adviser in May 2026. Rubio's dual role means NSC coordination and State Department diplomacy now run through the same office, concentrating rather than separating the two functions the 1947 reform originally split apart.