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The past month’s Pakistan-mediated talks between the United States and Iran represent a high-stakes moment that could end the fighting or allow Tehran to regroup and rearm, and President Trump himself said the outlines of a deal have been “largely negotiated.” Americans should want peace, but not a paper promise that leaves Iran’s tyrants stronger than before; the stakes are the Strait of Hormuz, our energy security, and whether Tehran is ever allowed to pursue a nuclear weapon again.
Pakistan’s chief of staff and mediators have been shuttling between capitals, with reports this week that Pakistan’s army chief traveled to Tehran as part of a final push to bridge differences — a reminder that diplomacy is still the administration’s chosen instrument while leverage is being applied. These talks grew out of the two-week ceasefire that began in April, but the fact that negotiators are still racing the clock shows the Iranians haven’t been broken into full compliance yet.
On Newsmax’s Sunday Report Fred Fleitz and Lt. Col. Darin Gaub made the sober point conservatives have been saying all along: cautious optimism is appropriate, but only if the deal contains real, verifiable steps that dismantle Iran’s ability to threaten the region. Their analysis correctly emphasized U.S. leverage — not surrender — and warned that any agreement must be backed by credible military options to ensure compliance.
Let there be no mistake: the White House has publicly kept pressure on Tehran, even warning that strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure remain on the table if diplomacy fails. President Trump and his team have used the combination of force and negotiation to force Iran to the table; the naval operations around the Strait of Hormuz and public threats to cripple Iranian capabilities are not saber-rattling but responsible leverage.
Conservatives must remember the 2015 playbook — Tehran historically agrees to weak, time-limited concessions and then covertly cheats while the world looks away. Fred Fleitz has repeatedly pointed to Iran’s past cheating and the need for ironclad verification, and we should demand no less now: intrusive, round-the-clock inspections, removal of enrichment capacity, and clear pathways to snapback sanctions if the mullahs test the deal.
Republican leaders and the American people should back a deal that secures American interests rather than applauding a ceasefire that merely pauses Iranian belligerence. Even Senator Rubio and others have admitted only “slight progress” so far — progress we can celebrate only if it’s durable and enforced; otherwise, the right move is to walk away and keep the pressure on until Tehran capitulates on real constraints.
Patriotic Americans know this country is safest when it stands firm, not when it dreams of a paper peace that rewards tyranny. If negotiators bring back a deal that truly eliminates Iran’s ability to hold the world hostage, conservatives will praise it; until then our message is simple and unyielding — hold the line, verify every promise, and never let the ayatollahs call the shots again.
