U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said on Sunday that Iran was “in the worst place it has been for its own national security since 1979,” while reiterating the Trump administration’s stance that Tehran must dismantle its nuclear project.
“If they had nuclear weapons, the entire Middle East would explode in an arms race. That is completely unacceptable to our national security,” Waltz said in an interview with CBS News’ “Face the Nation.”
The U.S. official attributed Iran’s precarious state to the recent setbacks of its proxies—the Assad regime in Syria, Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon—as well as to the destruction of Iran’s air defenses by Israel.
When asked to clarify the White House’s demands with regard to Tehran’s nuclear program, Waltz was unequivocal: “Full dismantlement. Iran has to give up its program in a way that the entire world can see. As President [Donald] 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 weapon … They cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapons program. That’s enrichment, that is weaponization, and that [is] its strategic missile program.”
He would not disclose what progress, if any, conversations between the United States and the mullahs have generated thus far, but stressed that Washington is demanding Iran give up its “full” nuclear program, “or there will be consequences.”
Waltz also discussed the United States’ recent attacks on the Houthis in Yemen, another Iranian terrorist proxy
“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,” said Waltz.
“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,” he continued.
“The last time one of our destroyers went through the straits there, it was attacked 23 times. Seventy-five percent 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 … you know, we’ll see, but I think [that] will be much more effective,” Waltz stressed.
According to a Fox News report in October, 2024, Israel’s two strikes against Iran’s air defense system over the last 12 months have left the country vulnerable to future attacks, with all four of Tehran’s Russian-made S-300 missile batteries having been destroyed.
On April 19, Israel took out one of the S-300 systems in response to Tehran’s first-ever direct attack against the Jewish state. On Oct. 26, in response to a second Iranian attack, Israel targeted 20 sites in Iran in multiple waves of strikes, destroying the remaining three.
“The majority of Iran’s air defense was taken out,” a senior Israeli official told Fox News.