Waltz to Iran: Abandon Nukes or Pay the Price

Mike Waltz, National Security Advisor of the Trump Administration, said on Sunday that Iran must abandon its nuclear program or suffer the consequences.

Waltz, who appeared on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” said that it is time for Iran “to walk away completely” from the pursuit of nuclear arms. He called for “a full dismantlement.”

Waltz stated, “This isn’t some sort of…you know, kind-of tit for tat we had during the Obama administration, or Biden. This is the entire program. Give it up, or you will face consequences.”

Waltz didn’t specify the kind of sanctions Iran might face. However, he did say that President Donald Trump keeps “all options” on the table. This includes diplomacy.

Waltz stated that the Trump administration would like Iran’s nuclear program to be abandoned in a manner visible to the world.

He said, “If Iran had nuclear weapons the Middle East would explode into an arms race. This is unacceptable for our national security. I won’t go into the back and forth, but Iran has the lowest level of national security it has had since 1979.”

The tensions between Washington and Tehran have been rising since Iran’s proxy groups, Hamas and Hezbollah launched attacks against Israel over the last few years.

Trump threatened military action against Iran if it didn’t reach a new nuclear agreement.

Ayatollah Khamenei, the Iranian Supreme leader, has stated that he’s not interested in talking to a “bullying” government, despite previous suggestions by Iranian diplomats including Abbas Araghchi. Araghchi’s stance was later hardened, as he followed Khamenei.

Under the original nuclear agreement of 2015, negotiated by former president Barack Obama, Iran was allowed to enrich its uranium to a maximum purity level of 3.67% and maintain a stockpile of uranium of 661 lbs. In its last report, the International Atomic Energy Agency estimated that Iran has a stockpile of 18,286 lbs. It enriches only a small fraction to 60% purity.

U.S. Intelligence agencies estimate that Iran is yet to start a weapons program, but that it has undertaken “activities that position it better to manufacture a nuclear weapon if that’s what it wants to do.”