Trump’s ambassador to U.N. says there’s no timeline on Iran war’s end
Washington Post
Washington Post
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Trump's UN ambassador said Sunday there is no timeline for ending the Iran war, now in its seventh month despite Trump's initial promises of a swift resolution. Mike Waltz asserted that time favors the U.S. through its economic blockade strategy on Tehran.
Iran war's end has no timeline, Trump's ambassador to the U.N. says - The Washington Post
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Trump’s ambassador to U.N. says there’s no timeline on Iran war’s end
As the conflict approaches seven months, Mike Waltz said time “is on the president’s and on the United States’ side.”
September 20, 2026 at 3:47 p.m. EDT
Today at 3:47 p.m. EDT
4 min
*People atop a float displaying drones during a state-organized, military-style parade in Tehran on Friday. (Vahid Salemi/AP)*
Middle EastChevron right
4 min
By
Sammy Westfall
President Donald Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations said Sunday he would not put a timeline on the end of the Iran war, which has dragged on for nearly seven months despite Trump’s initial insistence that it would be over within four or five weeks.
“I think time — with the president’s strategy and Operation Economic Fury — is on the president’s and on the United States’ side,” Mike Waltz told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.
Waltz said the U.S. naval blockade was having the intended effect of ratcheting up the pressure on Iran’s economy.
But Iranian officials said this weekend they have no intention of backing down, adding that, to end the war, Washington must agree to its demands, including releasing frozen Iranian assets and lifting the blockade on Iranian shipments.
On CNN, news anchor Dana Bash pressed Waltz on a Sept. 9 report in the Wall Street Journal that top White House advisers privately raised with Trump the prospect that the war could continue through the rest of his term, which ends in January 2029.
Waltz responded, “I wouldn’t necessarily put a timeline on it.”
His comments came as Iran-aligned Houthi militants escalated their attacks in the region with strikes Saturday on Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh. Yemen’s Houthi forces claimed that they hit “sensitive sites,” as a plume of black smoke was seen coming from near Riyadh’s international airport.
The Saudi military later confirmed the attacks but said its forces had intercepted a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis toward Riyadh.
The U.S. State Department issued a security alert for Saudi Arabia on Sunday, saying U.S. government employees in the country require special authorization to travel to the Saudi cities of Taif and Yanbu, which the Houthis have targeted in recent days.
The Houthis have ramped up a ground offensive along the Red Sea coast this month, capturing key territory surrounding the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a transit point for shipments of cars, oil and other commercial goods.
The Houthis’ aggression on the Red Sea coastline has added to concerns about rising disruptions to the global economy and spiraling energy costs.
On the other side of the Arabian Peninsula, the Strait of Hormuz — a vital waterway for shipments of oil and gas — has been at the center of a bitter standoff between Iran and the United States.
Ahead of the Nov. 3 U.S. midterm elections, anger over rising inflation and the unpopularity of the Iran war have dragged down Trump’s poll numbers, creating a grim landscape for his Republican allies as they struggle to hold onto control of Congress.
When Trump launched the war on Iran alongside Israel in February, he predicted a quick end to the fighting, saying it would be over in four or five weeks. More recently, he has suggestedthat Iran was seeking to assert leverage over the United States ahead of the midterms but that the war could end soon afterward.
“That war is going to end very soon. Watch, you just watch. Trump was right about everything, you watch,” Trump said at a rally in North Carolina last week.
“They want to make a deal so badly,” Trump said of Iran.
Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the command center of Iran’s armed forces, said that if the U.S. “makes any mistake against” Iran, then Tehran will retaliate with “painful attacks,” the semiofficial Tasnim News Agency reported.
Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei wrote Saturday on X that if the United States wants to “extricate itself from the predicament it has created,” it must agree to Tehran’s conditions.
---
What readers are saying
The comments express strong criticism of President Trump's handling of the war, highlighting a lack of a clear plan or timeline for its end. Many commenters accuse Trump of incompetence and dishonesty, suggesting that the war was poorly planned and executed, with significant... Show more
This summary is AI-generated. AI can make mistakes and this summary is not a replacement for reading the comments.
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WorldMiddle EastAfricaAmericasAsiaEurope
WorldMiddle EastAfricaAmericasAsiaEurope
Trump’s ambassador to U.N. says there’s no timeline on Iran war’s end
As the conflict approaches seven months, Mike Waltz said time “is on the president’s and on the United States’ side.”
September 20, 2026 at 3:47 p.m. EDT
Today at 3:47 p.m. EDT
4 min
*People atop a float displaying drones during a state-organized, military-style parade in Tehran on Friday. (Vahid Salemi/AP)*
Middle EastChevron right
4 min
By
Sammy Westfall
President Donald Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations said Sunday he would not put a timeline on the end of the Iran war, which has dragged on for nearly seven months despite Trump’s initial insistence that it would be over within four or five weeks.
“I think time — with the president’s strategy and Operation Economic Fury — is on the president’s and on the United States’ side,” Mike Waltz told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.
Waltz said the U.S. naval blockade was having the intended effect of ratcheting up the pressure on Iran’s economy.
But Iranian officials said this weekend they have no intention of backing down, adding that, to end the war, Washington must agree to its demands, including releasing frozen Iranian assets and lifting the blockade on Iranian shipments.
On CNN, news anchor Dana Bash pressed Waltz on a Sept. 9 report in the Wall Street Journal that top White House advisers privately raised with Trump the prospect that the war could continue through the rest of his term, which ends in January 2029.
Waltz responded, “I wouldn’t necessarily put a timeline on it.”
His comments came as Iran-aligned Houthi militants escalated their attacks in the region with strikes Saturday on Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh. Yemen’s Houthi forces claimed that they hit “sensitive sites,” as a plume of black smoke was seen coming from near Riyadh’s international airport.
The Saudi military later confirmed the attacks but said its forces had intercepted a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis toward Riyadh.
The U.S. State Department issued a security alert for Saudi Arabia on Sunday, saying U.S. government employees in the country require special authorization to travel to the Saudi cities of Taif and Yanbu, which the Houthis have targeted in recent days.
The Houthis have ramped up a ground offensive along the Red Sea coast this month, capturing key territory surrounding the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a transit point for shipments of cars, oil and other commercial goods.
The Houthis’ aggression on the Red Sea coastline has added to concerns about rising disruptions to the global economy and spiraling energy costs.
On the other side of the Arabian Peninsula, the Strait of Hormuz — a vital waterway for shipments of oil and gas — has been at the center of a bitter standoff between Iran and the United States.
Ahead of the Nov. 3 U.S. midterm elections, anger over rising inflation and the unpopularity of the Iran war have dragged down Trump’s poll numbers, creating a grim landscape for his Republican allies as they struggle to hold onto control of Congress.
When Trump launched the war on Iran alongside Israel in February, he predicted a quick end to the fighting, saying it would be over in four or five weeks. More recently, he has suggestedthat Iran was seeking to assert leverage over the United States ahead of the midterms but that the war could end soon afterward.
“That war is going to end very soon. Watch, you just watch. Trump was right about everything, you watch,” Trump said at a rally in North Carolina last week.
“They want to make a deal so badly,” Trump said of Iran.
Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the command center of Iran’s armed forces, said that if the U.S. “makes any mistake against” Iran, then Tehran will retaliate with “painful attacks,” the semiofficial Tasnim News Agency reported.
Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei wrote Saturday on X that if the United States wants to “extricate itself from the predicament it has created,” it must agree to Tehran’s conditions.
---
What readers are saying
The comments express strong criticism of President Trump's handling of the war, highlighting a lack of a clear plan or timeline for its end. Many commenters accuse Trump of incompetence and dishonesty, suggesting that the war was poorly planned and executed, with significant... Show more
This summary is AI-generated. AI can make mistakes and this summary is not a replacement for reading the comments.
* Dan Diamond and Aoife Walsh Trump says planned 250-foot arch will be ‘military complex’ for drones, snipers Earlier today
* John Woodrow Cox She cheered a teen protest against ICE. Police charged her with a crime. Earlier today
* Kyle Melnick Scientists heard a knock at the door. It was a pelican in need of help. Earlier today
* Analysis Dina Cheney The 8 worst interior design trends Earlier today
* Cat Zakrzewski and Shira Ovide Trump and sons invest heavily in AI economy as he resists calls for slowdown Earlier today
* Tashan Reed Jayden Daniels’s dislocated elbow overshadows Commanders’ loss to Cowboys 21 minutes ago
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