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Trump maintains military option against Iran, Waltz says

The American ambassador stressed the difficulties in striking a resolution with Tehran via diplomatic means.

Mike Waltz, United Nations
Mike Waltz, permanent representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, addresses the U.N. Observance of International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust on the theme “Holocaust Remembrance for Dignity and Human Rights,” at the U.N. Headquarters in New York City, Jan. 27, 2026. Credit: Evan Schneider/U.N. Photo.

U.S. President Donald Trump is “keeping all options on the table” regarding Iran, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told NBC News on Sunday.

The envoy said that Trump is giving diplomacy a chance to settle an agreement with Tehran in peaceful ways, but added that the ongoing talks are facing serious challenges due to the divisions within the Iranian regime.

“There is internal fighting [in Tehran]. Some are seeking the guidance of the Supreme Leader, [Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei], others want to move into a different direction, and that makes it hugely challenging from a diplomatic standpoint, to get to some reasonable resolution,” he said.

The U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding signed in Versailles on June 17 has effectively collapsed, with U.S. forces re-imposing a naval blockade on Iranian ports, and voices in the Trump administration threatening to restart the war against the Islamic Republic.

On Sunday, the Islamic Republic of Iran Army warned that the war could widen further if the United States decides to resume its military campaign against Iran.

“I believe that if the Americans once again fall for the Zionists’ deception, or move in line with them, and insist on continuing the war, particularly through airstrikes, geographically this will expand further,” army spokesman Brig. Gen. Mohammad Akraminia said, according to Tehran’s Press TV outlet.

Akraminia said that the regime’s Houthi terrorist proxy had already brought the conflict to the Bab el-Mandab strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.

“The scope of our operations now encompasses the entire region, from U.S. bases in Jordan to the countries along the Persian Gulf,” he said.

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