John Bolton, a former national security adviser in Donald Trump’s administration who has since turned into one of the former president’s staunchest critics, on Sunday took issue with his former boss’ assessment that Iran wouldn’t have launched its attack on Israel if he was still in the White House.
Early Sunday, Iran launched over 300 drones and missiles toward Israel, which the country said it managed to intercept with the help of its allies, including the U.S. and the U.K. The attack appeared to be in retaliation over the killings of two generals of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard earlier this month by an airstrike that targeted the country’s consulate in Damascus, Syria, has been attributed to Israel.
The incident resurfaced fears about a wider conflict erupting in the region as Israel continues its war against Hamas in Gaza.
Trump, the presumptive presidential nominee of the Republican Party in November’s election, during a campaign rally over the weekend, suggested Tehran’s attack on Israel, came as a direct result of what he described as the United States’ “weakness,” claiming “it would not have happened if we were in office.”
But Bolton said the former president is clueless about how to respond to international crises involving U.S. adversaries.
“I just think Trump is delusional on this point,” Bolton told CNN’s “State of the Union.” “It’s a point that nobody can refute or confirm one way or the other. He doesn’t have any idea what to do in the Middle East in this situation. Remember when he threatened fire and fury against North Korea? Within a year he had fallen in love with Kim Jong Un. So he’s not qualified to be president.”
Meanwhile, Bolton disagreed with how Joe Biden’s administration has managed the ongoing tensions. Washington has reportedly called on Israel to exercise restraint as it weighs a potential response, noting that the U.S. will not be drawn into offensive actions targeting Iran.
“If Joe Biden, as some press reports have it, is urging the Israelis not to retaliate at all, he is an embarrassment to the United States,” Bolton said. “This is an American interest to make sure that Iran, which is the principal threat to international peace and security in the region, is at a minimum put in its place to spare Israel, to spare the Gulf Arabs, to spare us from the threat that they pose.”
Asked by CNN’s Jake Tapper why he opposes a diplomatic solution to the current crisis between Israel and Iran, Bolton argued Tehran’s attack in itself demonstrates that deterrence has failed.
“If Iran doesn’t feel the pain, I think it’s only going to get worse for Israel,” Bolton added.
Meanwhile, Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz on Sunday said his country will exact a price from Iran at a time of its own choosing.
“This event is not over,” Gantz said. “The strategic alliance and the regional cooperation system that we built and stood its significant test need to be strengthened precisely now.”
