US envoy says economic pressure will force Iran to make concessions
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- US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz says sanctions and the blockade are putting growing pressure on Iran.
- Waltz claims Tehran is repeatedly seeking access to cash and frozen assets during negotiations.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said the economic campaign led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is severely damaging Iran's economy and will eventually force Tehran to make concessions.
In an interview with Fox News, Waltz claimed Iranian negotiators repeatedly focus on obtaining financial relief during discussions with the US.
"When Iran is coming to the table with our negotiators, they are talking about cash, cash, cash," Waltz said.
Waltz added that Iranian officials are more concerned about the country's economic situation than the military consequences of the war.
The US envoy claimed Iranian leaders are primarily concerned about the collapse of the country's currency and rising inflation.
"They are constantly asking for access to cash, access to their assets that we have frozen," Waltz said.
He argued that economic pressure, combined with the US blockade, would eventually compel Tehran to change its position.
"That's the squeeze. That, coupled with the blockade, that's what's going to eventually get the Iranians to move," Waltz said.
Waltz also claimed, jokingly but "seriously," that Iranians are currently more afraid of Bessent than Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, underscoring Washington's focus on financial pressure as a key component of its strategy toward Tehran.
