Trump’s Ex-Adviser: Iran Crisis Shows NATO Growing More Important, not Less

The Iran crisis shows NATO is “growing, not lessening” in importance as Europe faces direct security risks from Tehran, Donald Trump’s former national security adviser has told TVP World.

John Bolton’s comments come as NATO’s future role is being questioned on both sides of the Atlantic, with Washington pressing European allies to take on more responsibility for their defense and concerns growing that US attention and weapons could be stretched between Ukraine, the Middle East and Asia. 

Bolton said European governments should not see the confrontation with Iran only as a US problem, or only through the question of whether a wider Middle East conflict could reduce American military support for Ukraine. 

“The importance of the NATO alliance is growing, not lessening,” Bolton said. 

“The Iranians have carried out significant numbers of terrorist activities in Europe, as they have in North America,” he added. 

Europe is also closer to Iran than the United States and could be reached by Iranian intermediate-range ballistic missiles, Bolton said. 

Trump under pressure 

Bolton, who served as national security adviser during Trump’s first term, said the US president had failed to clearly explain his goal in the Iran crisis. 

“He wants to find a deal. He wants to declare victory, and he wants gasoline prices at US service stations to come down,” Bolton said. 

Other Topics of Interest

Putin Says Expecting US Negotiators Once US Less Busy With Iran

He said talks with US officials would continue, while responding to Donald Trump’s remarks at the G7 urging Russia to “make a deal” with Ukraine.

He also criticized Trump for not consulting Congress, NATO allies, Gulf Arab states and key US partners in Asia before the crisis deepened. 

Bolton warned that allowing Tehran to pressure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil and gas route between Iran and Oman, would set “a very dangerous precedent” for other similar international waterways. 

Meanwhile, Washington has not made clear whether its objective is destroying Iran’s nuclear program, forcing regime change or reaching a narrower agreement, Bolton said.  

Even if nuclear sites are badly damaged, Iran could rebuild if it keeps the scientists and technical knowledge behind its atomic program, he added.