US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz on Sunday criticized Iran’s proposed seven-day ceasefire, describing it as a “pretty cynical attempt" to obtain sanctions relief, end the US blockade and gain access to billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets.
In an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press, Waltz said Washington remains skeptical of Tehran following an earlier agreement.
“I think it’s kind of common sense that the president doesn’t have a lot of confidence this time, after we just tried a few months ago," he said. Waltz also accused Iran of violating a previous memorandum of understanding by attacking international shipping.
Asked about a Wall Street Journal report that President Donald Trump was preparing to resume strikes against Iran after the November midterm elections, Waltz dismissed the report as “anonymous reporting."
He added, “What I can tell you is the president will leave all options on the table."
Waltz said any future agreement must address Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium as well as its ability to resume uranium enrichment. He said the United States had previously offered Tehran an alternative. “Our negotiators even offered to sell them uranium," he said.
Waltz spoke a day after Trump confirmed that Iran had submitted the proposal but said he rejected it. “They made a proposal, but I rejected it," Trump said.
Trump said Sunday in an interview with Fox News that he expects the United States to prevail against Iran soon and reiterated that preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is central to the conflict.
“I think what’s going to happen is we’re going to win this war very soon," Trump said, adding that preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon was “key to the whole thing."
“We’ve already won it really from a military standpoint," Trump added, while indicating that the US campaign has not necessarily concluded.
Trump also declined to rule out renewed American strikes against Iran before the midterm elections. “I don’t want to say that. I don’t want to say that. I mean, it’s possible, but I just don’t want to say that," he said.