Mike Waltz says Gulf allies back Trump’s Iran pressure campaign after regional trip: ‘Zero daylight’

US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz is joined by Ambassador Jamal Fares Alrowaiei of Bahrain (left), Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates Mohamed Issa Abushahab,(right) and other Gulf states ambassadors as he speaks to reporters after the passing of a U.N.Security Council draft resolution on the situation with ships in the Strait of Hormuz on May 7, 2026 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

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“They very much support the blockade,” Waltz said, adding that allies shared with him “in a number of ways” how Bessent’s economic campaign is affecting the regime.The pressure campaign, Waltz said, is designed to squeeze Tehran while Trump continues negotiations aimed at preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

On Friday, an unnamed U.S.official told reporters in a briefing: “We do expect to be signing this agreement with Iran over the next few days.We assess it at 85%, but not 100%.We feel very good about the deal.We are not quite at the finish line, but we are very close”

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Waltz said, “The UAE, in particular, believes that you have to keep that pressure and a very credible pressure,�“That’s what the Iranians understand and respond to.”

Waltz said leaders in the region validated U.S.assessments that Iran’s economy is deteriorating under the combined weight of sanctions, military pressure and isolation.He said Iran’s currency is “tanking,” foreign currency reserves are running out,inflationis continuing to rise and the regime is struggling to pay the military, government employees and police.

TRUMP’S ‘ECONOMIC FURY’ SQUEEZES IRAN — BUT CAN TEHRAN OUTLAST THE PRESSURE?

An Emirates aircraft flies past plumes of smoke from a fire near Dubai International Airport in Dubai on March 16, 2026, following missile and drone attacks across the UAE.(AFP/Getty Images)

“I think the regime is going to be increasingly desperate,” Waltz said, adding that Trump, Secretary of StateMarco Rubio, Scott Bessent, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would use that pressure “to their advantage.”

In the UAE, Waltz met with President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and the foreign minister, describing the Emiratis as among the most active regional partners against Iran.“There is zero daylight,” Waltz said.

Waltz added the UAE has “both the capability and the will” to act, and said the Emiratis are prepared to take “short-term pain” to achieve the longer-term goal of blocking Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

The UAE has been hit hard during the war.Waltz said the country had taken “by far the most missiles, the mostdrones, the most hits,” but had moved quickly to repair damage and restore operations. 

Aftermath of an Iranian missile strike on a Navy 5th Fleet installation in Bahrain is shown above.(Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Waltz also pointed to theAbraham Accords as a majorfactor in the UAE’s posture, saying the country’s growing partnership with Israel has become an “important shift” in the regional alignment against Iran.

Bahrain was another central stop on Waltz’s trip.The country hosts the headquarters of the U.S.Fifth Fleet and has been directly exposed to Iran’s attacks and threats around the Strait of Hormuz.

MIKE WALTZ PUSHES UN RESOLUTION TO STOP IRAN MINING KEY GLOBAL SHIPPING ROUTE

U.S.Ambassador to the United Nations Michael Waltz speaks at an emergency Security Council meeting on the situation in Iran at United Nations headquarters on Feb.28, 2026 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

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“Until you go and really sit with them, you can’t appreciate what a strong ally they are,” Waltz said.

He said U.S.and allied teams in Bahrain are working with global shipping companies, local shipping officials, insurance companies and other maritime actors as the U.S.seeks to keep vessels moving through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints.

Waltz accused Iran of making a “phenomenally bad decision” byattacking its neighbors, including hotels, port facilities and energy infrastructure.During one visit to a petroleum site, he said he saw evidence that Iran had targeted fire suppression systems and first responders before striking storage tanks, in an apparent effort to maximize damage.

A billboard depicting Iran’s supreme leaders since 1979: (L to R) Ayatollahs Ruhollah Khomeini (until 1989), Ali Khamenei (until 2026), and Mojtaba Khamenei (incumbent) is displayed above a highway in Tehran on March 10, 2026.Iran marked the appointment of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei to replace his father as its supreme leader on March 9, 2026. (AFP/Via Getty Images)

“The Iranians were deliberately targeting fire suppression systems,” Waltz said.“They were deliberately targeting first responders first.”

Despite the strikes, Waltz said alliedair defenseshave had “over a 90% success rate” in shooting down Iranian missiles and drones, with U.S.forces working “hand in glove” with Gulf partners.

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Waltz ended his trip in the United Kingdom, where he said officials have been strong partners at the U.N.Security Council on Iran.He acknowledged “hiccups” and “speed bumps” over basing and access issues, but said many of those concerns had been “smoothed over.”

“When we’re working to keep the Iranians isolated diplomatically,” Waltz said, “they’ve been very good to work with.”

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