Trump administration is seeking "full dismantlement" of Iran's nuclear program, Waltz says
The Trump administration is seeking the "full dismantlement" of Iran's nuclear program as it ramps up a U.S. military campaign in the Middle East, White House national security adviser Mike Waltz said Sunday on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan."
"Iran has to give up its program in a way that the entire world can see," Waltz said. "It is time for Iran to walk away completely from its desire to have a nuclear weapon, and they will not and cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapons program. That is its weaponization and its strategic missiles program."
Waltz's comments came after President Trump vowed to hold Iran responsible for any future attacks carried out by the Yemen-based Houthi rebel group, which has carried out strikes on military and commercial ships in the Red Sea since Israel declared war on Hamas in Gaza. The effectiveness of their strikes has been mixed but disrupts what the Trump administration considers a critical trade route through the Suez Canal. Both Hamas and the Houthis, designated terrorist organizations by the U.S., are backed by Iran.
Speaking about Iran's nuclear program and echoing some of Mr. Trump's previous threats, Waltz on Sunday warned Iran: "Give it up, or there will be consequences." He emphasized that the U.S. seeks to dismantle the "full program."
"We've seen the death and destruction that it's doing through its proxies," said Waltz, referencing Iran's support for groups such as the Houthis. "If they had nuclear weapons, the entire Middle East would explode in an arms race. And that is completely unacceptable for our national security."
Waltz noted that, "of course," there are still opportunities for diplomacy between the U.S. and Iran.
Mr. Trump earlier this month authorized escalating airstrikes on Houthi targets, pledging in a Truth Social post to "use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective," with the objective being restoration of safe shipping passages in the region.
At the same time, Mr. Trump has been urging Iran to negotiate over its advancing nuclear program. The president said two weeks ago that he had sent a letter to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei asking for a deal that would prevent the country from possessing nuclear capabilities without involving military action. He initially broached the subject in an interview on the Fox News show "Sunday Morning Futures."
The letter followed a February report from the United Nations nuclear watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency that said Iran had "significantly increased production and accumulation of high enriched uranium," which signaled an advancement in the country's nuclear program since Mr. Trump took office for a second time. During his first term, Mr. Trump withdrew the U.S. from a deal with Iran and other nations that aimed to clamp down on the country's nuclear program, while also imposing a number of new sanctions on Iran at the time.
Responding to the letter in a televised address, Khamenei said "Americans should know threats will get them nowhere when confronting Iran," adding that the U.S. "and others should know that if they do anything to malign the Iranian nation, they will get a hard slap," the French news agency AFP reported. The Islamic republic has repeatedly denied claims its atomic program is geared toward developing a nuclear weapon.
