American Ambassador to the United Nations: We are preparing for a long confrontation with Iran

Listen to the article. The audio text is automated, generated by an automated system

Amid speculation of a new round of intensive and rapid US strikes against Iran, US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz explained that Washington is preparing for a long-term conflict with Iran, even as the administration of President Donald Trump hopes that bombing campaigns and economic sanctions will extract major concessions from Tehran.

Waltz acknowledged that the United States may find itself a year from now stuck in a stalemate with Iran, without reaching an agreement on the Iranian nuclear program or restoring shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to its pre-war levels.

But he expressed his hope in an interview with the Financial Times newspaper published on Friday that Iran would make major concessions after the naval blockade and bombing. He said: "We hope that they will come to the negotiating table in a serious way before reaching that point."

However, he added, "The US President and the US Navy are able to maintain the blockade imposed on Iranian ports for the foreseeable future." He stressed that the US administration is working to "tighten" the campaign of economic pressure it is exercising on Iran.

In addition, he stressed that getting rid of Tehran from highly enriched nuclear weapons is a strategic goal.

These statements came at a time when US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu renewed threats to launch a new attack on Iran after the US midterm elections scheduled for November 3.

Note that the war faces widespread opposition within the United States, as Trump's popularity has declined to about 31% less than two weeks before the midterm elections, while the Republican Party faces the risk of losing control of Congress due to voter dissatisfaction with rising prices.

In an attempt to reduce the cost of fuel, Trump this month concluded an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin allowing the sale of Russian diesel after years of sanctions, drawing criticism from European and Ukrainian leaders who warned that the revenues generated from these sales could give Moscow breathing space and prolong its war in Ukraine.

While Waltz, who during his membership in Congress in 2024 had called for support for the Ukrainian government, justified this step as necessary to address the “global shortage of refined products” that this year affected sectors “extending from aviation to farmers.”

Waltz briefly served as Trump's national security adviser, but was fired last year after using the messaging app Signal to discuss sensitive military operations in a chat group that mistakenly included a journalist.