Former National Security Adviser John Bolton has warned that the United States still has significant work ahead to destroy Iran's nuclear infrastructure. Iran's heavy-water production program at Arak was hit only in late March, along with a uranium processing facility at Ardakan - weeks after the bombing campaign began in late February.
Bolton raised the alarm in a guest essay for The New York Times, "Hvylya" reports.
"There is surely more to do to 'obliterate' - to use Mr. Trump's word - Iran's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs and production capabilities," Bolton wrote. Other priorities may have been deemed more important during the early phase of strikes, he acknowledged, but the delay in reaching these critical facilities shows just how much effort the task requires.
Bolton argued that eliminating Iran's nuclear threat is the single most important objective of the campaign. The nuclear program, he wrote, represents "indisputably Iran's biggest threat." Removing Iran's enriched uranium and destroying critical equipment will be necessary at some point, though not immediately given current military priorities.
Rather than preparing for a dramatic exit, Bolton urged the administration to keep searching for nuclear manufacturing sites and storage facilities that may have been missed. The approach should be methodical: pursue targets at a pace of American choosing, without self-imposed deadlines that create pressure to wrap up prematurely.
The former adviser also called for parallel action to destroy Tehran's mine-laying capabilities, drone squadrons, fast-attack boats, and anti-ship missiles. He suggested blockading the strait and allowing no Iranian oil out until all Gulf oil can transit safely - rather than attempting to occupy Kharg Island.
Earlier, "Hvylya" covered how Iran's missile launches inadvertently handed Israel a strategic advantage.