You would be forgiven for missing it amidst our perpetually chaotic daily news cycles, but a team of U.S. negotiators, led by Trump administration Middle East Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, is now in the midst of high-stakes nuclear negotiations with representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Apparently, rounds one and two of these negotiations with the world's single largest state sponsor and exporter of terrorism have gone so well that Witkoff's team has agreed to sit down for an upcoming third round of talks. And these negotiations involve the highest elements of the Trump administration; while Witkoff is technically in charge, Vice President JD Vance is also believed to be closely involved.

At the same time as the negotiations overseas, there is high drama unfolding back home at the Pentagon. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has defiantly defended himself against accusations that he shared U.S. war plans against the Yemen-based Houthis to another group chat besides the now-infamous Jeffrey Goldberg chat, and he has personally overseen the cashiering of numerous high-ranking Department of Defense employees whom he believes have previously—and illicitly—leaked sensitive information to outside propagandists. These high-ranking employees include Hegseth's long-time friend and ally, Dan Caldwell, who promptly went on Tucker Carlson's popular podcast to tell his side of the story. Curious, that!

So, what exactly is going on here?

The reality is that the Trump administration is deeply divided on the issue of Iran—and deeply divided on questions of foreign policy, more generally. I actually wrote a column over a year ago about this divide within broader MAGA world—I titled the column, "What Exactly Is Meant by 'America First?'" That question is more relevant than ever, now that Trump is in charge once again. Part of this conversation is a genuine, substantive debate as to what exactly it means to be a national interest-centric "America First" foreign policy realist. But part of it has also taken on a more sinister hue: There are increasingly many people, both inside and outside the administration, who use the rhetoric of "America First" as a not-particularly-subtle veneer for gratuitous Iran appeasement and/or simple hatred of the Jewish people. Make no mistake about it: There is a darkness emerging in certain elements of the American Right, and that darkness must be stamped out.

I have no objections—for now—to the ongoing talks with Iran, and I also very much prefer a diplomatic solution to the long-standing issue of Iran's menacing nuclear program. But we cannot forget this simple point: Iran's mullahs cannot be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon—period. In the Islamic Republic of Iran, we are talking about a fanatical Islamist regime that chants "Death to America!" on a daily basis in its legislature and, more importantly, has demonstrated its ability and desire to act on that murderous impulse—from both the regime's own Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its many regional proxies—whenever and wherever possible. To ponder what such a regime might do with nuclear warheads and ICBMs is to engage in a deeply unpleasant thought experiment. Truly, one shudders at the thought.

The Witkoff-led American negotiators must understand that, in Iran's mullahs, they are dealing with some of the most brazen, deceitful liars on the face of the earth. Iran has been hiding the progress of its nuclear program for many decades now. What would possibly lead U.S. negotiators to believe they will now stop the halt toward nuclearization—let alone put in place secure, verifiable mechanisms to monitor future nuclear progress (or more accurately, lack thereof). I'm fine playing this out a bit longer, but at some point, the rubber is going to meet the road here. And ultimately, the murderous Iranian regime cannot acquire a nuclear weapon. Iran must be halted in its nuclearization efforts by any means necessary. And yes, that does mean any means necessary.

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Our additional highlighted recent Newsweek op-eds include selections from Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), and Arsen Ostrovsky, John Spencer, and Brian L. Cox.

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