Amb. Waltz is very upset by this headline. He claims that I "fabricated" it. I appreciate that the ambassador took the time to talk to me, but it's unclear what he thinks was fabricated, given that his team also has a copy of the recording... Me: "How long do you think it'll take to get Iran to capitulate under this status quo pressure?" Waltz: “Well, we'll see. The president and the U.S. Navy can maintain this blockade for the foreseeable future, the maximum pressure campaign is only tightening. The regime, which controls 40 to 50% of the Iranian economy, continues to, to, to suffer under the pressure. So again, our pursuit, our, you know, our pursuit of a diplomatic solution is bolstered and backed by both economic and military, if necessary–that’s the president’s decision–pressure." Me: “Do you think it could–this could still be largely the status quo a year from now?” Waltz: “Uh, I’m not going to put out hypotheticals. One would hope that they'll come to the table in a, in a meaningful way before that.” Me: “But if they don’t, we will be?” Waltz: “Well, again, that’s, these are decisions for the president: how long he wants to sustain the blockade, how long he wants to pursue a diplomatic track with a mix of economic, diplomatic, and military pressure. Those are, those are the decisions and the tough decisions and the hard truths that the American people elected him to follow and to do.”