Former White House national security adviser John Bolton on Monday said the negotiations to end the war in Iran are “a mistake.”
Bolton, an outspoken critic of President Trump’s handling of the conflict, told CNN’s Pamela Brown that he hopes to see the discussions “break down.”
“I think the ceasefire was a mistake,” he said. “I think these negotiations are a mistake. I think we’re on the verge of something that ultimately history will decide was a catastrophic loss for the United States.”
“We have, we have done significant damage to the Islamic Republic of Iran, and right now we’re letting them undo the damage, and that that is a real tragedy, not just for us, but for the people in the region too,” he continued.
Bolton lambasted the 60-day extension of the ceasefire, one of the expectations reportedly set out in the latest peace proposal, suggesting that Iran wants a longer timeline that will only extend as months drag along.
“I don’t think Donald Trump is analyzing what America’s strategic interests are here,” Bolton continued. “I think he’s looking at the price of gas at the pump, and he’s doing whatever he can to bring it down.”
The comments follow Bolton’s calls last week to end the ceasefire. He urged the administration to force open the Strait of Hormuz, where roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil passes through.
The effective closure of the key waterway since the onset of the conflict in February has caused global energy prices to skyrocket. The national gas price average is about $4.50 as of Monday, per AAA.
Bolton said the Strait of Hormuz should be taken away from Iran, taking aim at the Trump administration’s handling of the conflict.
“Iran has to learn the lesson it cannot get its way in the Gulf by military force,” he added. “It’s reasonable to ask, why didn’t the administration think of this at the beginning of the war? I don’t know the answer to that question, but the answer now is not to have a diplomatic deal that can be reversed, like by Iran, like turning a light switch on and off.”
The U.S. and Iran are currently in talks about a possible peace deal, which includes discussions about reopening the passageaway.
A sticking point in these negotiations relates to Iran’s nuclear capabilities, including its enriched uranium stockpile. Trump and other administration officials have accused Iran of being an “imminent nuclear threat” early in the conflict, and has said Iran cannot possess a nuclear weapon.
Iran has always defended its nuclear program as developed for peaceful purposes.
Bolton on Monday attacked his former boss, saying Trump “thinks everybody wants to make a deal on just about everything” and is “palpably desperate to have a deal.”
“And [Iran is] playing him on that, they’re stretching him out, they’re buying time,” Bolton told CNN. “All of that works in their advantage.”
