US envoy: No ‘trust’ approach to Iran, any deal must be verifiable

The United States will never rely on trust when dealing with Iran, UN Ambassador Mike Waltz said Sunday, as American officials prepared to travel to Pakistan for a second round of negotiations aimed at ending the ongoing war. “Any deal that comes out of this will have to absolutely be verifiable and be enforceable,” Waltz told CBS News. He emphasized that detailed discussions with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would be essential to ensure Iranian compliance with any future agreement.

Talks and Iranian uncertainty

President Donald Trump has confirmed that US officials will head to Islamabad for discussions with Iran. However, Iranian state media reported that Tehran has not yet decided whether it will participate. Waltz said he expects the upcoming meeting to build on the terms proposed by Vice President JD Vance during the first round of talks held in Pakistan on April 11-12, which ended without an agreement. He described the level of US engagement as unprecedented, citing Vance’s direct involvement alongside ongoing ceasefire discussions between Israel and Lebanon.

Iran’s isolation and lack of leverage

Waltz argued that Iran’s economy is in severe decline and that the country is more diplomatically isolated than ever before, particularly at the United Nations. “Iran lacks leverage,” he said, adding that the US believes Tehran will ultimately return to negotiations and abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons. When asked about the significance of Vance’s role, Waltz replied: “The vice president leading shows the level of engagement from the US side — that we are absolutely serious.”