Former national security adviser John Bolton on Sunday warned that President Trump\u2019s actions in the war against Iran could spark a nuclear arms race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhatever deal President Trump makes with Iran, his often-contradictory decisions during the conflict have laid the groundwork for more nuclear proliferation in the Middle East,\u201d Bolton said in an opinion piece for The Wall Street Journal that was published Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf the race for nuclear weapons widens and accelerates, the region will become more unstable, heightening risks for the entire world,\u201d he added, in his piece titled \u201cA Bad Iran Deal Could Spark a Nuclear Arms Race.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The war in Iran, which has strained relations with U.S. allies and stressed the global economy, recently passed the three-month mark, with recent polling finding many Americans are against the fighting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a recent interview, Trump said Iran had not agreed to end the war because they were \u201cstrong\u201d and \u201cproud,\u201d but stated that they had \u201cno choice\u201d but to come to a deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey\u2019re strong, they\u2019re proud, there are things they never thought they\u2019d be doing that they\u2019re going to have to do,\u201d Trump said Friday during an interview with NBC\u2019s Kristen Welker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump has pushed back against the rush to come to a long-term deal with Iran on its nuclear programs and control over the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Sunday, Iran fired missiles at Israel \u2014 an incident Trump has been briefed about, a U.S. official told The Hill\u2019s broadcast partner NewsNation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his opinion piece, Bolton claimed that \u201cMr. Trump and Iran\u2019s internal opposition must remove or gravely weaken the principal threat to regional peace: Tehran\u2019s regime.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut Gulf Arab states and others believe Washington, hitherto their chief guarantor of security and deterrence, is in shaky hands. Accordingly, they are revising their strategies to survive in a dangerous neighborhood, amid Iran\u2019s nuclear and terrorist threats,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf America\u2019s conventional deterrent is deemed unreliable, fears about the extended nuclear deterrent are even greater. Gulf Arabs and other regional states have long contemplated whether to acquire nuclear capabilities to hedge against a fickle Washington,\u201d Bolton wrote later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n