[Free Beacon] Decades of U.S. diplomacy with Iran, including the Obama administration's landmark nuclear accord, may leave Israeli military action as the only option to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons, according to former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton."I don't make any disguise of the idea that ultimately it may take an Israeli strike against Iran's nuclear program to stop it," Bolton told the Washington Free Beacon. "I wish we weren't at that point, but this is what 25 years of negotiations with Iran gets you."
Bolton, a critic of the nuclear agreement implemented two years ago, first pushed the idea in 2009 after Iran's hardline mullahs and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps quashed a pro-democracy opposition movement that erupted in response to nationwide accusations that the presidential election was rigged.
In a Washington Post op-ed, Bolton wrote at the time that given the narrowed window for regime change, a targeted Israeli strike was the only time-sensitive option to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Bolton has since relaxed calls for a preemptive strike and now says the highest priority must be the abolition of the nuclear accord, which limited Tehran's ability to produce nuclear material in exchange for sanctions relief. Still, Bolton said an Israeli attack against Iran's nuclear facilities may be an inevitable deterrent option.
In a draft policy proposal for exiting the accord published in National Review Monday night, Bolton said President Donald Trump's national security team needs to discuss military options with Israel and "selected others" regarding Iran's "menacing behavior."
Bolton, once considered for secretary of state and national security adviser during the presidential transition, said he was asked last month by Trump's now-ousted strategist, Steve Bannon, to draft a policy proposal on how the United States could withdraw from the nuclear accord.