US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz warned in a Fox News interview Tuesday that President Donald Trump's patience with Iran is not inexhaustible, saying Tehran's bargaining position weakens by the day. Waltz noted that Gulf states are finding alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz, citing a UAE oil pipeline and expanded Saudi pipeline use.
US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz expanded on the administration's hardening stance toward Iran in a Fox News interview published Tuesday morning, warning that President Donald Trump's patience is 'not inexhaustible' and that Tehran's bargaining position is eroding daily as Gulf states diversify export routes away from the Strait of Hormuz. Waltz specifically cited the UAE's oil pipeline and expanded Saudi pipeline capacity as alternatives that reduce Iran's ability to threaten global shipping. The remarks come two days after Waltz first signaled waning patience in a single-source Israeli report on Sunday evening (Sun 18:52 Jerusalem), which The Zioneer published as an initial alert.
That Sunday report, attributed to an Israeli source, marked the first on-record ambassador-level confirmation that Trump's patience was wearing thin. By Monday, the thread had thickened: The Zioneer reported a separate warning from Waltz against continued Iranian attacks on international shipping (Sun 21:11 Jerusalem), and a senior American official told reporters Sunday evening that Trump is frustrated with talks and 'losing patience' — the first time an on-record official had stated that explicitly (Sun 19:39 Jerusalem). Tuesday's interview added two new elements: the 'not inexhaustible' language and the specific Hormuz-bypass pipeline detail.
The wider thread provides context for the hardening posture. As The Zioneer reported on June 14 (Sun 17:27 Jerusalem), Waltz had previously stated Trump was 'fully determined to close the emerging deal with Iran,' signaling a diplomatic track still alive. A senior official on June 10 (Wed 15:00 Jerusalem) had warned of 'violent assaults on Iran's infrastructure' ahead. The current mix — public warnings without deadlines, pipeline diversification reducing Iran's leverage — suggests a strategy of gradually narrowing Iran's options rather than setting an immediate ultimatum.
What remains open: Waltz did not specify consequences should talks fail, nor did he reference any new intelligence about Iran's nuclear timeline. The indirect US-Iran talks via Qatari mediators continue without a reported breakthrough, and no military movements beyond routine posture have been confirmed.
3 developments
- DevelopingUS Ambassador to UN warns Iran against continued attacks on international shipping
- StrongUS envoy Waltz: Trump determined to close Iran deal
- DevelopingUS officials: Trump has not abandoned diplomacy with Iran, patience wearing thin
- DevelopingSenior American official: Trump running out of patience with Iran — 'stop playing cheap games'
Source and signal
- Internal intake