‘One way or the other’
The recent lull has revived hopes for a return to negotiations, although US media reported that the pause may also reflect pressure on the US stockpile of Patriot interceptors and other defensive weapons.
Waltz dismissed the idea in a second interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”
“I want to be clear. The US military — and I’ve verified this in every way — has everything it needs to conduct this campaign as effectively as it needs to be,” he insisted.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be at the White House on Tuesday and is expected to ask Trump to continue to take a tough stance on Tehran, particularly over its nuclear program.
Iran has long insisted the program is for civilian purposes, but the US and its allies claim it is aimed at developing a weapon.
Also speaking to Fox News, Netanyahu said he fully supported Trump’s efforts to shut down Iran’s nuclear program.
“If he can do that without going back to intense military fighting, that’s fine. Why not? But one way or another, they have to end their nuclear program, and with or without a deal, that has to end,” he said.
Plans to escalate the US campaign have been scrapped in part because of dwindling ammunition supplies, The New York Times reported, citing two people briefed on the matter.
