National security adviser Mike Waltz said Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that President Donald Trump was working towards “full dismantlement” of Iran’s nuclear program.
Partial transcript as follows:
MARGARET BRENNAN: Good morning and welcome to “Face the Nation.” There is a lot to cover on the home front, but we begin first on national security. In just a few hours, U.S. officials will be holding talks with Ukraine, and tomorrow a separate round with Russia, in pursuit of a 30 day cease fire. In the meantime, the Trump administration is ramping up the U.S. military presence in the Middle East, sending a second aircraft carrier to the region. We begin this morning with White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz. Good to have you here.
WALTZ: Thanks Margaret.
BRENNAN: So the Iran-backed Houthis, they continue to fire at Israel. What has the last week of bombing achieved? And if you’re holding Iran responsible, what’s next?
WALTZ: Well, we’ve taken out key Houthi leadership, including their head missileer. We’ve hit their headquarters. We’ve hit communications nodes, weapons factories, and even some of their over the water drone production facilities. Just in the last couple of days, President Trump has decided to hit the Houthis and hit them hard, as opposed to, in the last administration, where literally weeks or months would go by with these kind of one-off, pinprick attacks. And as a result, we’ve had one of the world’s most critical sea lanes get shut down. I mean, these guys are like al Qaeda or ISIS with advanced cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and some of the most sophisticated air defenses, all provided by Iran, Margaret. Just to- so everybody understands the impact here, the last time one of our destroyers went through the straits there, it was attacked 23 times. 75% of our U.S. flag shipping now has to go around the southern coast of Africa rather than going through the Suez Canal. And keeping the sea lanes open, keeping trade and commerce open, is a fundamental aspect of our national security. The last administration was not effective. The Trump administration and President Trump have decided to do something much harder, much tougher and much- and what- you know, we’ll see, but I think will be much more effective.
BRENNAN: So the president said he’s going to hold Iran responsible as well. Envoy Steve Witkoff said in an interview that Iran had responded to this U.S. outreach via multiple channels. In regard to a letter sent by the president, Witkoff described it as an offer to Iran to “create a verification program so [that] nobody worries about weaponization of [your] nuclear material.” Can you clarify? Is the U.S. seeking the dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear program, or verification, like what President Obama put in place back in 2015 and President Trump pulled out of?
WALTZ: Full dismantlement. Iran has to give up its program in a way that the entire world can see. And this is- look–
BRENNAN: Have they said they’re interested?
WALTZ: –as President- as President Trump has said, this is coming to a head. All options are on the table, and it is time for Iran to walk away completely from its desire to have a nuclear- nuclear weapon. That- and they will not, and cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapons program.
(BEGIN CROSSTALK)
BRENNAN: Have they responded —
WALTZ: That’s enrichment–
BRENNAN: –to the president’s call for peace talks?
(END CROSSTALK)
WALTZ: That is weaponization, and that its- its strategic missile program. Can you only imagine? We’ve seen the death and destruction that they’re doing through its proxies, between Hezbollah, the Assad regime, the Houthis, and what have you. If they had nuclear weapons, the entire Middle East would explode in an arms race. That is completely unacceptable to our national security. I won’t get into what the back and forth has been, but Iran is in the worst place it has been, from its own national security, since 1979, thanks to Hezbollah, Hamas, the Assad regime, and its own air defenses being taken out by the Israelis.
BRENNAN: So there’s still a chance for diplomacy? I know you won’t get into- okay.
WALTZ: Well, of course, I mean, the President has all options on the table. But we want to be clear, this isn’t some kind of, you know, kind of tit for tat that we had under the Obama administration, or Biden. This is the full program. Give it up, or there will be consequences.
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