Steve Witkoff’s Iran Negotiations, Split in the Trump Administration, Europe Must Pick Sides

Our feature story this morning, from Peter van Halteren, reports on how Germany’s struggling car industry is looking for renewed relevance and revenue by transitioning into war production—manufacturing tanks and other military vehicles. This is a striking development for the country that biblical prophecy says is going to spearhead a military juggernaut that starts World War III.

[BRIEF]

Did I say that? Yesterday the press was awash in stories comparing U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff’s Iran negotiations to Barack Obama’s nuclear deal. There is broad concern that the U.S. is squandering an opportunity to box in a weakened Iran. Even former Secretary of State John Kerry, the main architect of Obama’s JCPOA, argued in the Wall Street Journal that Trump should extract more concessions from Iran!

Apparently Witkoff wasn’t expecting his comments to receive so much scrutiny and felt compelled to do some damage control. Yesterday on X, his office posted:

A deal with Iran will only be completed if it is a Trump deal. Any final arrangement must set a framework for peace, stability and prosperity in the Middle East—meaning that Iran must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponization program. It is imperative for the world that we create a tough, fair deal that will endure, and that is what President Trump has asked me to do.

“Iran must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment” is very different from Witkoff’s words on Monday: “They do not need to enrich past 3.67 percent. … So this is going to be much about verification on the enrichment program.” Iran certainly noted the about-face. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded that dismantling Iran’s enrichment program is “nonnegotiable.”

Clearly, Iranian leaders do not fear the United States. They are willing to negotiate to buy time for their nuclear program. But any notion that they can be talked down from procuring the weapons they have worked to construct for decades is lunacy. An Iranian newspaper connected to the government wrote yesterday that Iran could expel international nuclear inspectors if President Trump continues his threats.

Despite all international pressure to the contrary, Iran is resolutely clinging to its crown as the biblically prophesied “king of the south.”

Witkoff’s reversal matches a trend: The Trump administration savors bold, headline-generating announcements, even those that need to be subsequently scaled back or withdrawn. It reflects President Trump’s brash, govern-from-the-gut style, which we have seen on full display in the on-and-off tariff declarations. Regarding Iran specifically, the back-and-forth over enrichment may also reflect:

A split in the Trump administration: The president’s national security team has a dialogue faction and an attack faction in dealing with Iran’s nuclear aspirations, Axios claims. Witkoff, Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are pushing for diplomacy and compromise; Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz express deep skepticism over Iran’s intentions and seek a more hard-line approach.

President Trump himself seems split down the middle—on one hand pushing hard for an ill-fated deal and even showing himself willing to frustrate Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over it—and on the other making continual threats and dispatching aircraft carriers and B-2 bombers to the region to prepare for conflict.

“The Iran policy is not very clear mainly because it is still being figured out. It is tricky because it’s a highly politically charged issue,” a U.S. official with knowledge of the internal discussions told Axios.

Will Trump’s peace plans fly? We watch with seatbelts buckled to see how this high-stakes situation plays out. Prophecy shows that ultimately, Iran will survive America’s pressure and the U.S. will lose its global standing both as a peacemaker and a policeman. The prevarication in the White House suggests that the timeline for that prophecy to be fulfilled is shortening.

And that’s not the only prophecy Trump is accelerating:

Europe must pick sides—China or America: President Trump is calling on Europe to sever ties with China before he will make a deal over trade tariffs, Ezekiel Malone reports. If you were Europe, which direction would you go? Trump is essentially asking European nations to choose between having raw materials needed to make things or having a market to sell things to. Do you even need the latter if you don’t have the former? The Trump administration seems intent on driving Europe into the arms of Asia. And prophecy shows that ultimately, that is just what will happen.

China is conquering the Pacific: China is building military infrastructure across crucial spots in the Pacific, extending its reach and preparing for war, according to a Sinopsis report.

Japan has again boosted its military spending: The cabinet approved a record ¥8.7 trillion (US$55 billion) defense budget for fiscal year 2025, a 9.4 percent increase over the previous year. This marks its 13th consecutive year of military growth. Japan aims to reach 2 percent of GDP by 2027. The budget prioritizes long-range strike capabilities, including Tomahawk missile deployment, and advanced technologies like satellites and unmanned systems. Japan is one of many countries arming up in today’s increasingly complex security environment.

“No one is above the law”: Remember how often New York Attorney General Letitia James said that when she prosecuted Donald Trump for inflating the value of the Trump Organization to secure better loan terms? In February last year, she secured a guilty verdict and a $454 million penalty against Trump. Well, yesterday, the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency director referred James to Attorney General Pam Bondi for prosecution, alleging that she falsified bank documents and property records to secure government-backed loans and more favorable terms—mirroring the exact accusations she leveled against Trump. Specifically, legal documents uncovered by investigators show James declared a Virginia house as her “principal residence” just weeks before leading the Trump fraud trial, potentially to obtain better mortgage rates and tax benefits, which could constitute mortgage and tax fraud. It’s hard not to marvel at the hypocrisy—and the poetic justice.

Study: Pornography could cause lasting brain harm: A RealClearScience article published today discusses a recent study highlighting the long-term effects of pornography on brain function. The findings revealed that among frequent pornography users, activity in the prefrontal cortex (critical for impulse control and decision-making) drops; while activity in the amygdala (linked to emotional responses and arousal) goes up. This imbalance suggests a potential for increased impulsivity and emotional dysregulation over time. The study noted a reduction in functional connectivity between the prefrontal cortex and the reward system—suggesting a rewiring of neural pathways that mirrors patterns seen in substance addiction. The study tracked users for two years, and adds to evidence of the lasting harm of pornography, particularly among younger users whose brains are still developing.

Breaking news—Scottish women are women: The UK’s Supreme Court has come down on the side of common sense and biological reality. It delivered a unanimous ruling yesterday that the legal definition of a woman under the Equality Act 2010 is based not on gender identity but on biological sex. The decision stemmed from a case that For Women Scotland initiated against the Scottish government, which had redefined “woman” in the law to include transgenders. Their victory secures the rights of actual women in areas like sports and public spaces. Score 1 for science, for justice and for common sense.