Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has reportedly been tapped by the Trump administration to advise on Middle East peace efforts.
According to the Telegraph, Steve Witkoff, a property developer and friend of President Trump who now serves as his Middle East envoy, has brought Blair into his circle of advisers as frustration mounts over the lack of progress in ending the war in Gaza.
“Mr Blair is an obvious choice,” a Western diplomatic source told the London-based newspaper. “He is a natural mediator and talks to both sides.”
Blair’s appointment comes at a critical moment for Witkoff, who beyond Gaza is leading efforts to end the war in Ukraine and spent last weekend in Oman discussing Iran’s nuclear program.
After stepping down as prime minister in 2007, Blair spent eight years as the Middle East Quartet’s envoy representing the US, UN, European Union, and Russia. His time in that role yielded few concrete results, and his legacy in the region remains overshadowed by his decision to back the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Like former President George W. Bush, whose reputation suffered at the time when no weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq, Blair faced harsh criticism when Britain’s Chilcot Inquiry determined he had “overstated the threat posed by Saddam Hussein” and implemented “wholly inadequate” post-invasion planning.
Meanwhile, the two men are already collaborating on a humanitarian initiative for Gaza. Witkoff briefed the UN Security Council last week on plans to create a Geneva-based foundation that would replace the UN as the main provider of assistance. Both Witkoff and Blair want David Beasley, former head of the World Food Program, to take a leading role in the effort.
“It’s an evolution for Witkoff, who is known for shooting from the hip and not getting briefings, now consulting with a wider, different, more experienced group of figures,” the source notes.
“We know he is sceptical of the State Department and suspicious of the foreign service, but now he is drawing on a wider set of views, including someone like Tony Blair.”