The Trump administration is "laser-focused" on addressing Iran's nuclear program as the United States and Tehran hold talks in Switzerland, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told CBS News' "Face the Nation" on Sunday.

Waltz said the administration's focus is on preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, in contrast to what he called a "policy drift" in previous U.S. objectives toward Iran. But he added that "we know the type of people that we're dealing with," citing Iran's deadly crackdown on demonstrations earlier this year.

"None of these senior members of this genocidal regime are good guys by any means," Waltz said. "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."

Waltz confirmed that "technical experts" from the Department of Energy are involved in the negotiations, and will help address the "nitty-gritty details" of Iran's nuclear program, including its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

Waltz said the goal is "Iran not having a nuclear program," insisting that the Trump administration wants the program "permanently destroyed, as opposed to the past, where it was ongoing, and we were basically bribing them to not continue."

Any deal between the U.S. and Iran, Waltz said, would be "all about verification," with "no trust" in Iran required. In exchange for complying with an agreement, Iran could receive "carrots" in the form of sanctions relief.

The ambassador insisted that "we need to give this process a chance. We need to give peace a chance and, as the vice president has said, perhaps we can finally turn the page to a new Middle East."