Trump wrong on Iran and Russia – former US presidential adviser

Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton, in a column for The Washington Post, argues that the Trump administration mistakenly views world crises in isolation, whereas they are interconnected through the Beijing–Moscow axis. He calls for a systemic strategy: neutralizing Iran, deterring Russia through support for Ukraine, and globally deterring China.

Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton, in an article for The Washington Post, argues that the Trump administration mistakenly views world crises in isolation, whereas they form a single geopolitical knot. In his view, actions based on the principle of 'an eye for an eye' demonstrate a lack of systemic strategy. Bolton points to the intertwining of fronts: Iran supplies Russia with attack drones and military equipment, while Russia and China share intelligence with Tehran. North Korea provides Moscow with direct military support. As an example, he cites an incident in the Caspian Sea where Ukrainian forces attacked an Iranian vessel carrying military equipment. He proposes a three-pronged strategy: neutralizing the Iranian regime by undermining the IRGC infrastructure and the ayatollahs' financial flows; deterring Russia by accelerating the transfer of Patriot systems, increasing economic pressure, and blocking Russian oil; and globally deterring China in the Asia-Pacific region. Bolton emphasizes that Ukraine has the strongest army in Europe but needs systematic Western support, which the current administration lacks.