John Bolton Says Israel Should Strike Iran By 'Going After Its Nuclear Weapons Program' — Tehran's Nukes Threaten America's Security

Benzinga · 10/15 01:27

Trump-Era White House national security advisor, John Bolton, has called on Israel to target Iran’s nuclear program, despite worldwide appeals for moderation following Iran’s recent missile attack.

What Happened: Bolton said on X on Monday, “The Israeli government should consider retaliating against Iran by going after its nuclear weapons program.”

“Iran having nuclear weapons directly threatens Israel’s national security as well as America’s.”

He shared an article from Canada’s Global News in which he was quoted as saying, “I think that's the point where Israel can have the maximum impact, precisely by going after the nuclear weapons program.” The former U.S. official said that there was “no guarantee” that Israel would have another opportunity that was as good.

In an interview with Mercedes Stephenson on The West Block, Bolton underscored the need for Israel to prevent Iran’s next attack from involving a nuclear warhead, according to the report.

“If you're Israel, and you've seen in both the April attack from Iran and the Oct. 1 attack hundreds of ballistic missiles launched at you, you could have no confidence that the next time you see a ballistic missile coming from Iran, that under its nose cone it might not have a nuclear weapon.”

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Why It Matters: Bolton has previously advocated for regime change in Iran and has criticized Iran’s role in attacks on Israeli civilians. His latest call for action comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed willingness to strike military targets rather than oil or nuclear facilities in Iran. This decision was seen as a move to avoid political interference in the U.S. elections and to prevent a surge in energy prices.

However, experts have warned that any Israeli military action targeting Iranian facilities could significantly impact global oil prices and lead to potential disruptions in the energy markets. This adds another layer of complexity to the already tense geopolitical situation.

Notably oil prices fell on Monday after Netanyahu said that Israel will not target Iran’s oil or nuclear targets.At the time of writing WTI Crude November 2024 futures traded 2.9% lower at $71.70. ICE Brent Crude December 2024 futures were down 2.8% at $75.28.

The United States Oil Fund LP (NYSE:USO) ended Monday lower by 2% at $75.93 while the iShares US Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (BATS:IEO) closed 1.1% lower at $96.03.

Image via Flickr/ Gage Skidmore

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This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Shivdeep Dhaliwal