diff --git a/pkg/rancher-desktop/backend/k3sHelper.ts b/pkg/rancher-desktop/backend/k3sHelper.ts
index 97ed70c378e..5c27ca495a4 100644
--- a/pkg/rancher-desktop/backend/k3sHelper.ts
+++ b/pkg/rancher-desktop/backend/k3sHelper.ts
@@ -1119,29 +1119,6 @@ export default class K3sHelper extends events.EventEmitter {
     }
   }
 
-  /**
-   * Check if the given Kubernetes version requires the port forwarding fix
-   * (where we listen on a local port).
-   *
-   * @param version Kubernetes version; null if no Kubernetes will run.
-   */
-  static requiresPortForwardingFix(version: semver.SemVer | undefined): boolean {
-    if (!version) {
-      // When Kubernetes is disabled, don't try to do NodePort forwarding.
-      return false;
-    }
-    switch (true) {
-    case version.major !== 1: return true;
-    case version.minor < 21: return false;
-    case version.minor === 21: return version.patch >= 12;
-    case version.minor === 22: return version.patch >= 10;
-    case version.minor === 23: return version.patch >= 7;
-    case version.minor >= 24: return true;
-    default:
-      throw new Error(`Unexpected Kubernetes version ${ version }`);
-    }
-  }
-
   /**
    * Helper for implementing KubernetesBackend.requiresRestartReasons
    */
diff --git a/pkg/rancher-desktop/backend/wsl.ts b/pkg/rancher-desktop/backend/wsl.ts
index 531879cf87c..bd3ede5d095 100644
--- a/pkg/rancher-desktop/backend/wsl.ts
+++ b/pkg/rancher-desktop/backend/wsl.ts
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ import {
 } from './backend';
 import BackendHelper from './backendHelper';
 import { ContainerEngineClient, MobyClient, NerdctlClient } from './containerClient';
-import K3sHelper from './k3sHelper';
 import ProgressTracker, { getProgressErrorDescription } from './progressTracker';
 
 import DEPENDENCY_VERSIONS from '@pkg/assets/dependencies.yaml';
@@ -786,14 +785,12 @@ export default class WSLBackend extends events.EventEmitter implements VMBackend
 
   protected async installGuestAgent(kubeVersion: semver.SemVer | undefined, cfg: BackendSettings | undefined) {
     const enableKubernetes = !!kubeVersion;
-    const iptables = enableKubernetes && !K3sHelper.requiresPortForwardingFix(kubeVersion);
     const isAdminInstall = await this.getIsAdminInstall();
 
     const guestAgentConfig: Record<string, string> = {
       LOG_DIR:                  await this.wslify(paths.logs),
       GUESTAGENT_ADMIN_INSTALL: isAdminInstall ? 'true' : 'false',
       GUESTAGENT_KUBERNETES:    enableKubernetes ? 'true' : 'false',
-      GUESTAGENT_IPTABLES:      iptables.toString(), // only enable IPTABLES for older K8s
       GUESTAGENT_CONTAINERD:    cfg?.containerEngine.name === ContainerEngine.CONTAINERD ? 'true' : 'false',
       GUESTAGENT_DOCKER:        cfg?.containerEngine.name === ContainerEngine.MOBY ? 'true' : 'false',
       GUESTAGENT_DEBUG:         this.debug ? 'true' : 'false',
diff --git a/src/go/guestagent/main.go b/src/go/guestagent/main.go
index fa7394bf3c9..0d3bf8b5cbe 100644
--- a/src/go/guestagent/main.go
+++ b/src/go/guestagent/main.go
@@ -44,7 +44,6 @@ import (
 var (
 	debug            = flag.Bool("debug", false, "display debug output")
 	configPath       = flag.String("kubeconfig", "/etc/rancher/k3s/k3s.yaml", "path to kubeconfig")
-	enableIptables   = flag.Bool("iptables", true, "enable iptables scanning")
 	enableKubernetes = flag.Bool("kubernetes", false, "enable Kubernetes service forwarding")
 	enableDocker     = flag.Bool("docker", false, "enable Docker event monitoring")
 	enableContainerd = flag.Bool("containerd", false, "enable Containerd event monitoring")