Bolton pushes US to strike Iran directly to ‘send a message’

Former national security adviser John Bolton called on the Biden administration to directly authorize an attack on Iran to “send a message.”

in interview In an interview with CBS News’ Katherine Herridge, Bolton said Friday’s retaliatory strikes by U.S. forces were “the right thing to do,” but added, “I don’t think it’s enough.”

“They declared a red line against any target within their borders,” Bolton said. “Well, they crossed America’s red line by killing Americans, and they won’t see this as a serious problem unless we cross their red line.” Probably not.”

“I’m not saying this first strike has to be a threat to the regime. There are things inside Iran, like the Quds Force bases, air defense systems, etc., that it would be a good idea to destroy and send a message. “There are a lot of targets,” he continued. “If the Iranian government does not understand, we can send further messages.”

U.S. Central Command said it began airstrikes against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and “affiliated militias” on Iranian-backed groups in Syria and Iraq around 4 p.m. ET on Friday. Announced.

The retaliatory attack comes after three American soldiers were killed in Jordan over the weekend. Bolton, who served in the Trump administration, said he was surprised the Biden administration didn’t act sooner, as the week approaches since the couple’s deaths.

President Biden, who attended the soldiers’ return to U.S. soil, issued a statement after the airstrikes saying they would continue “at a time and place of our choosing.”

“The United States does not want conflict in the Middle East or anywhere in the world,” Biden added. “But to everyone who seeks to harm us, please know this: If you harm Americans, we will respond.”

Mr Bolton had previously called for a disproportionate attack on the US in response to the deaths of military personnel. Iranian officials warned on Wednesday that the country would respond “firmly” to any threats from the United States.

Mr Bolton said on Friday that the approach chosen by the US was “not a sufficiently significant retaliation”.

He also criticized the Biden administration for showing weakness “throughout this crisis,” which began when the militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, sparking the ongoing war in Gaza. .

With Yemen-backed Houthi rebels targeting ships in the Red Sea, Mr Bolton believes this will send a “bad signal” to Iran, Russia and China, and if action is delayed “The longer it is delayed, the more the impression that the administration is in chaos grows,” he said.