6 minWorld
Waltz Warns Allies of Consequences Over Iran Sanctions Enforcement
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz says Washington will hold both friends and foes accountable for failing to enforce sanctions on Tehran as President Trump prepares to address the General Assembly.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz has delivered a blunt warning to nations that fail to enforce sanctions against Iran, saying Washington will impose consequences on both allies and adversaries as the U.S.-Iran conflict enters its seventh month.
In an exclusive interview ahead of the U.N. General Assembly, Waltz said President Donald Trump will use the annual gathering to press for greater international cooperation on Iran. Trump is expected to address the General Assembly on Tuesday and meet with Gulf leaders whose countries have been directly affected by the conflict.
«They will reinforce that message, but importantly, it's all of these countries actually enforcing the sanctions and what they're going to hear is there will be consequences for friend and foe,» Waltz said. «The president is doing this for the future security of the world.»
The warning comes as European and Asian allies have largely resisted Trump's requests for assistance in the Iran conflict, which began with U.S. and Israeli strikes in February. The war has disrupted global energy markets, with Iran obstructing shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and its Houthi allies tightening their grip on a critical Red Sea shipping corridor.
Waltz said the administration intends to make sanctions enforcement a central part of its diplomatic push during the U.N. gathering. He pointed to Iran's cratering economy, citing the country's currency, inflation and a U.S. naval blockade as evidence that economic pressure is working.
«One way or another, the president has been crystal clear on our goals here that Iran cannot and will not have a nuclear weapon,» Waltz said.
His remarks follow a Sept. 17 U.N. Security Council vote in which Russia and China blocked an effort to continue independent monitoring of international sanctions on Iran. The vote underscored the difficulty Washington faces in maintaining a unified front against Tehran.
Trump is also expected to meet with Gulf leaders to discuss the conflict and regional security. Waltz described the collective meeting as an important diplomatic opportunity, saying the administration wants to hear directly from its Gulf partners about their concerns.
The Iran conflict is unfolding against a broader debate over the future of the United Nations, an institution Trump has repeatedly criticized and his administration has sought to substantially reform. On Sept. 16, the United States paid $725 million toward the U.N.'s regular budget and another $102 million for peacekeeping operations. The payments reduced Washington's outstanding debt and averted the immediate risk of losing its General Assembly voting rights in 2027. However, the U.S. still owed approximately $1.312 billion to the organization's regular budget.
Asked why American taxpayers should continue funding an organization the administration has criticized for what it considers anti-American bias, Waltz pointed to efforts to reduce spending and redirect the institution toward its original mission.
«The president is clear about getting the U.N. back to basics and helping it realize its potential,» Waltz said. He said the administration had secured more than $1 billion in budget reductions, with roughly 3,000 headquarters positions being cut and a reduction of approximately 25% in peacekeeping personnel.
«We have the U.N. on a diet,» Waltz said.
But Waltz also made clear that the administration does not intend to abandon the United Nations. «There's got to be one place in the world where everyone can come together and put diplomacy first and can actually talk,» he said. «We don't ever want to see a U.N. in Beijing or Moscow or Brussels.»
«If we just walked away, you'd have 192 countries talking without us,» Waltz added.
Gaza offers one example of how the administration intends to use the U.N. while limiting direct American military involvement. Waltz pointed to the U.N.-endorsed Board of Peace and the planned International Stabilization Force, which is intended to support security and a postwar transition in Gaza. The ambassador said he does not want American troops deployed there, arguing that international security operations should allow other countries to share the burden. The U.N. Security Council endorsed the Gaza peace plan and authorized the stabilization force in November 2025.
The State Department said Sept. 18 that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be in New York from Sept. 20–23 to meet foreign counterparts, advance U.S. security and economic priorities and continue the administration's campaign for U.N. reform.
Trump arrives in New York days after announcing a new security agreement with Denmark and Greenland aimed at expanding the American military presence in the Arctic while restricting adversaries from establishing bases or making sensitive investments on the island. The agreement falls short of Trump's earlier ambition to acquire Greenland, which remains an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Denmark and Greenland have stressed that the arrangement will not compromise the island's sovereignty or right to self-determination.
