adminRetired Gen. Jack Keane didn’t mince words on Fox News when he tore into Tehran’s so‑called “negotiations,” calling out the Iranian regime’s playbook of deception and delay while it barrels toward a bomb. Americans watching should be alarmed, not comforted, that our diplomats keep talking while the ayatollahs enrich and lie; Keane made clear that rhetoric without consequences only hands our enemies time and opportunity.
Keane also praised Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s blunt message in Munich that Europe must finally start pulling its own weight on defense and security instead of treating the United States like a safety net. Rubio’s speech at the Munich Security Conference struck the right tone—firm, clear, and unapologetic—reminding wary European leaders that the West’s future depends on shared responsibility, not perpetual U.S. subsidization.
What made Keane’s remarks particularly righteous was his indictment of the decades of weak foreign policy that let hostile regimes grow complacent and empowered. He rightly reminded viewers that appeasement and naïve diplomacy have real victims, and that past U.S. and European choices left the West strategically hollowed‑out and begging for terms.
This is why Rubio’s plea for Europeans to “pull their own weight” isn’t lecturing; it’s straightforward self‑defense. If NATO partners want American support, they must stop freeloading on our resolve and bankroll the defense their people expect; otherwise the United States has every right to recalibrate its commitments and act alone where necessary.
On Iran, the stakes couldn’t be higher—every handshake and memorandum that lets Tehran keep centrifuges spinning is another inch toward a nuclear weapon and more cash flowing to proxies across the region. Voices across the national security community, including Keane and former advisers, warn that deals which remove pressure only embolden Iran’s malign activity and bankroll its terror networks.
Conservative Americans should welcome this moment of clarity: no more moralizing, no more wishful thinking, and no more sacrificing our security on the altar of global consensus. We need leaders who will call out liars, hold enemies to account, and demand that allies carry their share of the burden—because liberty and safety aren’t freebies and they won’t defend themselves.
If Washington is serious about protecting the American people and preserving Western civilization, it will pair tough diplomacy with credible military options, relentless sanctions, and a refusal to reward bad actors with legitimacy. That’s the hard, necessary work Keane and Rubio are urging—stop apologizing for American strength, start using it to secure peace on terms that favor freedom, and make our allies prove they’re worthy of our blood and treasure.
