John Bolton: Regime Change in Iran Not on Trump's Agenda

The National Security Advisor to the President of the United States, who had previously suggested pressure from Washington for regime change in Iran, stated that this issue is currently not on the agenda of Donald Trump's administration. In an interview with ABC News aired on Sunday, May 12, he said the current agenda of the U.S. government is to ensure that Iran never comes close to the capability of acquiring nuclear weapons. He had previously mentioned in an interview with CNN that he had written and discussed a lot about the necessity of regime change in Iran when he was a 'free' individual in past years. Bolton, who was appointed by Donald Trump in March as the successor to Herbert McMaster, also told CNN: 'The position I am in now is that I am the National Security Advisor to the President. I am not the national security decision-maker. He (Trump) is the decision-maker, and the advice I give him is between us.' These statements come at a time when the National Security Advisor plays a decisive role in the policymaking and decisions of the government in foreign policy. Bolton's recent remarks come after he stated in January during an interview with Fox News that the U.S. government should take actions including increasing economic pressure on Iran and supporting the regime's opponents. Bolton stated that 'we can do a lot of things and we must do them,' adding that 'our ultimate goal should be regime change in Iran.' In 2015, Bolton also called for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities in a note for The New York Times, and in 2016, although he was expected to be appointed as Secretary of State, he spoke about regime change in Iran. He also mentioned in a 2016 interview that 'the Ayatollah regime is the main threat to world peace and security in the Middle East. Overthrowing this regime will undoubtedly bring peace and satisfaction to the region and at the same time eliminate the most significant threat in the region.' Due to Bolton's hardline positions against the Islamic Republic, his appointment as National Security Advisor raised speculations about increasing pressure on Iran and a harsher atmosphere against Tehran from the U.S. These speculations arose because Trump appointed Mike Pompeo, the CIA director, as Secretary of State instead of Rex Tillerson, who also has hardline positions against the Iranian government and the Islamic Republic's nuclear program. However, shortly after Trump officially announced the withdrawal from the JCPOA and the imposition of new sanctions against Tehran, his National Security Advisor emphasized that this action 'is not a prelude to military confrontation with Iran.' The Times of Israel reported on May 7, quoting John Bolton, that those who think the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA will lead to war with the Islamic Republic are 'very mistaken.' He also emphasized in conversations with reporters that the JCPOA in its current form has 'fundamental flaws' and does not 'block Iran's path to a nuclear bomb.' This comes as the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly stated that Tehran has adhered to the JCPOA and has not violated it since the agreement was signed. This has led supporters of the nuclear agreement to argue that the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA under these circumstances would mean 'U.S. violation' of the agreement. The National Security Advisor to Donald Trump also responded to this point by saying, 'I don't think we are violating the JCPOA; we are withdrawing from it.'