Former national security adviser John Bolton said Friday in an interview with CNN's Caitlan Collins that Iranian threats against U.S. officials are “a matter of very great concern.”
This comes after the Justice Department revealed on Friday an alleged Iranian plot to kill President-elect Donald Trump during this fall's election campaign.
“I think this is a very big concern. I think this round of criminal charges just expands on the information that is currently available to the public. Some current and former U.S. government officials… There are a lot of people who are targeted by this Iranian activity, a lot of ordinary Americans,” Bolton said.
He also mentioned Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad, according to an indictment unsealed by the Justice Department in October.
“This is not computer chatter. This is not speculation. This is not some guy locked in his basement spouting demanding rants on the Internet,” Bolton said.
“And as a matter of public policy, whether it's Iran or anyone else, the real question is, do they treat this just as a law enforcement issue, or do they make the very effort to go after Americans in Iran? I think the question is, do we treat that or any other country, whether we succeed or fail in eliminating them, and whether we treat that effort itself as an act of war? ” Bolton added.
The Trump campaign announced in September that the former president had been briefed on an alleged assassination threat from Iran. In early August, a Pakistani national with suspected ties to the Iranian government was charged with plotting a political assassination in the United States.
Trump also threatened to blow Iran “to smithereens” if he returned to the White House, after announcing earlier this fall that his campaign had been briefed on Iran's alleged assassination threats against him.
