High-stakes negotiations are underway in Switzerland as top American and Iranian officials hold rare, direct meetings to debate the future of Iran’s nuclear capabilities. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz stated Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that the Trump administration is “laser focused” on the issue, signaling a shift toward a highly concentrated diplomatic effort.
The diplomatic push intensified earlier Sunday when Vice President JD Vance and a team of U.S. officials entered a conference room to meet directly with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. The inclusion of Ghalibaf is notable; he helped oversee the creation of Iran’s missile program and has been described by critics as a hardliner who allegedly bragged about cracking down on internal protesters.
Addressing the controversial nature of the meeting’s participants, Waltz did not mince words. “None of these senior members of this genocidal regime are good guys by any means,” Waltz said during his interview with Margaret Brennan. “They certainly wouldn’t pass an FBI background check. No one expects that. But, at the end of the day, the administration, our administration, is taking a pragmatic approach.”
According to Waltz, this pragmatic approach centers strictly on preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, drawing a contrast with what he characterized as a “policy drift” in prior American administrations. He acknowledged past grievances, citing Iran’s history of detaining American citizens and its deadly crackdown on domestic demonstrations earlier this year, adding, “we know the type of people that we’re dealing with.”
The current strategy marks a notable evolution in President Trump’s approach to Iran. While Trump previously outlined sweeping objectives—including destroying Iran’s ballistic missile program and fostering regime change—his recent focus has narrowed to nuclear containment. Trump has remarked that it is “OK” for Iran to possess ballistic missiles and stated that he is no longer pursuing regime change.
To handle the highly complex technicalities of the negotiation, Waltz confirmed that technical experts from the U.S. Department of Energy are on the ground in Switzerland. These experts are tasked with addressing the “nitty gritty details” of the deal, specifically focusing on the fate of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
The framework for these negotiations rests on a memorandum of understanding signed by both countries last week. While the document stated that both sides “agreed to resolve the disposition of stockpiled enriched material” and established downblending the material as a “minimum” outcome, it lacked specific directives. This leaves a massive array of technical hurdles to be solved during a designated 60-day window.
A primary point of friction remains uranium enrichment. Trump has consistently maintained a red line that Iran must not enrich uranium at all. Iran has routinely rejected this demand, insisting its nuclear ambitions are entirely peaceful. Last year, U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Iran was not actively developing a nuclear weapon, though reports confirm it has enriched uranium well past the thresholds required for standard commercial or civilian use.
Waltz reinforced the administration’s strict stance on Sunday, telling CBS News that the ultimate objective remains “Iran not having a nuclear program.” He emphasized that the Trump administration wants the infrastructure “permanently destroyed, as opposed to the past, where it was ongoing, and we were basically bribing them to not continue.”
If a final agreement is reached, Waltz stressed that it will be built entirely on a framework of strict oversight rather than diplomacy. “It’s all about verification,” Waltz said, asserting that “no trust” in the Iranian government is required.
In return for verified compliance, the U.S. is prepared to offer “carrots” in the form of selective sanctions relief. This component of the negotiation has already drawn pushback from some congressional Republicans, who argue that easing sanctions could inadvertently provide Iran with the liquidity needed to fund its conventional military operations or back regional proxy groups like Hezbollah.
Waltz dismissed those concerns, promising that any revenue Iran is permitted to generate from future oil sales will be heavily restricted. “The money is going to places that we can still monitor,” Waltz said, emphasizing that the funds would not be allowed to morph into an unmonitored “slush fund.”
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