U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz pushed back during a tense interview when asked whether the United States is officially at war with Iran.
Appearing on the NBC program Meet the Press, Waltz was questioned by host Kristen Welker about the military campaign launched by President Donald Trump alongside Israel Defense Forces targeting Iranian military infrastructure.
Welker asked whether the administration considered the conflict a war. Waltz responded by arguing that Iran has effectively been engaged in hostilities against the United States for years.
“Well, I describe it as Iran’s been at war with us,” Waltz said before Welker pressed him again on whether the current conflict should be defined as a war.
“President Trump is ending it,” Waltz replied, adding that legal debates about the War Powers Resolution are typically handled by lawyers and Congress.
He also said the administration has briefed lawmakers about the military operations, noting that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has regularly updated congressional leaders on developments.
The exchange comes as lawmakers in Washington debate the scope of the president’s authority to conduct military operations against Iran.
Attempts by Democrats in Congress to halt U.S. military action against Iran were defeated in both chambers.
Waltz argued that Iran has been responsible for attacks against Americans for decades through both direct actions and allied militant groups. He cited groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis as examples of Iranian-backed organizations that have targeted U.S. interests.
He also referenced the 1983 bombing of U.S. forces in Beirut and later attacks on American troops in Iraq, which he said resulted in hundreds of U.S. casualties over the years.
The debate comes shortly after six American service members were killed when an Iranian strike hit a U.S. operations center in Kuwait on March 1.
Waltz also pointed to the 2020 U.S. strike that killed Qasem Soleimani, a commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who U.S. officials accused of orchestrating attacks against American troops in the Middle East.
The administration argues that current military operations are aimed at weakening Iran’s ability to conduct such attacks and stabilizing the region.
