The Case for Trump’s Global Strategy
U.N. ambassador Mike Waltz on Iran, Sudan, China, Russia, and more.
Ravi Agrawal: Let's begin with the Middle East. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi departed New York on Tuesday, having engaged in indirect negotiations with the United States. Could you describe the nature of these discussions? Mike Waltz: I didn't participate directly in the negotiations; it's important to clarify. The Iranians presented an offer, and U.S. President Donald Trump and his team deemed it unsatisfactory.
In their view, this offer was insufficient. Iran continues to unlawfully blockade an international waterway, thereby jeopardizing the global economy—particularly Asia's economies—and issuing threats against civilian shipping and infrastructure around the Persian Gulf. Consequently, President Trump believes it is unacceptable. One hundred forty-six nations, a U.N. record, have rallied alongside the U.S. to condemn Iran's violations of the U.N.
Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and its attacks on innocent civilian shipping and infrastructure in the Persian Gulf. Thus, President Trump rightfully asserted that the unfreezing of all Iranian assets and lifting of sanctions would not occur unless Iran demonstrated a genuine commitment to discussing its nuclear program, which is also in violation of numerous U.N. resolutions.
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