Trump tells UNGA he could ‘annihilate’ Iran absent a deal
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told NPR’s Morning Edition on Wednesday that three hours of direct talks between American and Iranian officials a day earlier produced no announced breakthrough. President Trump has said the talks are continuing and that he believes a settlement can be reached. Waltz declined to describe Iran’s proposal when pressed by host Steve Inskeep, telling him ‘we’re literally internalizing what they brought to the table.’
Asked whether Tehran had offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for an easing of U.S. economic pressure, Waltz called the talks “significant” because they marked the first direct contact between the two countries since the ceasefire broke down. He added that Iran would have to “come to the table in good faith.”
Waltz invoked international law in defending the U.S. position, arguing that Iran could not use control of one of the world’s most important shipping lanes as leverage in negotiations. “Imagine if Spain or Morocco choked off the Straits of Gibraltar because of a dispute with another country,” he said. Iran has said it is prepared to reopen the strait if Washington eases military pressure and lifts its blockade on Iranian ports.
Trump addressed the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, touting his economic record and pairing diplomacy with the threat of force — a combination that has shaped much of his second-term foreign policy. On Iran, he spoke of a deal that could allow the country to rebuild while also threatening to “annihilate” it if no agreement is reached.
Waltz is a former Green Beret and three-term Florida congressman who moved to the U.N. post after being pushed aside as Trump’s national security adviser over the Signal chat scandal, in which he mistakenly added a journalist to a discussion of planned U.S. strikes in Yemen.
On Venezuela, Trump said a U.S. military operation had removed Nicolás Maduro and declared that “to the victor belong the spoils” as he discussed access to the country’s oil.
The foreign policy message comes as voters give Republicans lower marks on the issue. The NPR/PBS News/Marist poll released Wednesday found registered voters preferred Democrats over Republicans on handling foreign policy, 42% to 36%. Trump’s overall job approval stood at 39%.