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On Newsmax’s Wake Up America Weekend, veteran national security voice Fred Fleitz told viewers that U.S.-Iran talks are underway and that there is reason for cautious optimism, a welcome contrast to the do-nothing diplomacy of the past. Fleitz and guest Walid Phares made clear the negotiations are happening against a backdrop of hard-earned U.S. leverage after recent operations and pressure on Tehran.
Don’t be fooled by headlines calling the talks a panacea; Fleitz has bluntly warned that early rounds were limited and, in his words, in some respects “a bust” when Iran refused to expand talks beyond narrow nuclear issues. Conservatives should remember that Tehran has a long record of negotiating in bad faith and using talks to buy time for malign activity.
That’s why the movement of U.S. forces — including infantry, special operations, and Marines to the region — matters, and Fleitz rightly emphasized that military posture creates tangible diplomatic leverage. Strength without the willingness to use it is mere theater; showing the world we mean business strengthens the hand of negotiators and protects American interests.
Allied countries are watching and, in some cases, expressing cautious hope that diplomacy can yield results, but hope must not replace vigilance. Regional partners like Pakistan have publicly said they are hopeful a deal can be reached soon, a reminder that any agreement will be judged by its ability to stop Iranian aggression, not by glossy press releases.
Fleitz’s assessment that Iran has been significantly weakened by recent U.S. and allied actions is an important reality check for Americans worried about another disastrous reset with Tehran. Weakening a regime’s war-making capacity is not the same as forgiving its behavior, and conservatives should insist on verifiable, permanent limits — not a return to the appeasement of the Obama years.
We must also remember warnings that Iran risks losing a rare chance to normalize relations if it continues to behave badly; Fleitz has argued Tehran will “lose out” on any real opportunity while it finances proxies and abuses its own people. The American people deserve a foreign policy that pairs diplomacy with consequences, and that doesn’t hand Tehran a victory lap in exchange for empty promises.
Hardworking Americans want peace, but they want peace on American terms — secure, verifiable, and backed by strength. Conservative leaders should press negotiators to hold the line: keep sanctions, demand inspections and limits on missiles and proxies, and never allow a nuclear-capable Iran to emerge from the table with a pat on the back.
