One week after claims of an "Iranian victory", with Tehran supposedly leveraging the Strait of Hormuz and outmaneuvering Donald Trump, the narrative has shifted. U.S. and allied naval forces have applied sustained pressure, effectively constraining Iranian shipping and energy exports, all without deploying ground troops. With these constraints in mind and the cards in Washington’s hands, the real deal making begins. But, apart from the challenge of the nuclear “dust,” the missile program, and terrorism, the regime will continue to pose a threat to its own people. With time on America’s side, should a grand strategy consider how to best empower the Iranian people?

Miad Maleki is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and a U.S. Air Force veteran. He previously worked as Associate Director for the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Global Targeting at the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), where he played a central role in architecting the Treasury Department’s sanctions campaigns against the Iranian regime and its extensive network of proxy groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas, Iraqi Shiite militias, and the Houthis. Mr. Maleki also served as the assistant director for counterterrorism, nonproliferation, and Middle East sanctions and as OFAC’s chief and senior sanctions coordinator for Iran and the Middle East.

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Against the backdrop of Operation Epic Fury and President Trump’s frustration with military support from NATO allies, Secretary General Mark Rutte visited Washington to discuss the alliance’s evolving burden sharing. Moving away from American codependence and increasing European defense investment took center stage at this year’s NATO Summit in The Hague, and we hope to see the fruits of that in Ukraine, along NATO’s eastern flank, and in more balanced support for U.S. efforts in Iran. Following what he described as a “candid and frank” conversation with the President this week, Rutte shares frank insights on the alliance, its future, and America’s role in addressing present day challenges in Europe.

Mark Rutte took office as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s 14th Secretary General on October 1st, 2024. Prior to that Mr. Rutte served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands for almost 14 years. During this time, he presided over four coalition governments, with a distinguished record of domestic and international achievements including security, defense, employment and social affairs, and economics. He was a member of the Dutch Parliament and leader of the Dutch People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy. He is a strong supporter of global and transatlantic cooperation.

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The story from mainstream media is that the core of MAGA is "split" on the war with Iran, strikes in Venezuela, the Houthis, and other Trump 2.0 international policies. This supposed "MAGA schism" over foreign policy challenges Trump's coalition of America First isolationists and hawkish establishment Republicans. But the data tells a different story. Drawing on our coverage of the Reagan National Defense Survey and the work of our guest Kristen Soltis Anderson, we find no evidence of such a divide. In fact, MAGA voters appear overwhelmingly hawkish and strongly supportive of President Trump’s military operations, particularly in Iran. If a divide does exist within the Republican Party, it is more likely generational than ideological. What might that mean for the future of conservative foreign policy leadership? And as we look to 2028, what does a successful Republican candidate project on foreign policy according to the polls?

Kristen Soltis Anderson is a pollster, speaker, TV personality, New York Times opinion writer, commentator, and author. Kristen is Founding Partner of Echelon Insights, an opinion research and analytics firm that serves brands, trade associations, nonprofits, and political clients. She is an on-air political contributor at CNN and previously has been a contributor to Fox News Channel and ABC News. She currently writes the newsletter “Codebook” on Substack and is the author of, “The Selfie Vote: Where Millennials Are Leading America (and How Republicans Can Keep Up).”

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