Trump fires Iran hawk John Bolton as national security adviser
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced that he had fired National Security Adviser John Bolton, seen as the architect of the White House’s hard-line policy toward Iran.
Bolton’s exit comes as Trump moves closer to direct talks with Iran after pulling out of the nuclear deal, and likely signals a shift in the administration’s strategy toward a softer line with Tehran.
In a pair of tweets, Trump said he had disagreed with much of Bolton’s advice and had asked for his resignation.
“I informed John Bolton last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House. I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the Administration, and therefore I asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning. I thank John very much for his service,” he wrote.
Trump said he would name a new national security adviser next week.
Bolton indicated he had been caught off guard by the tweets, writing on Twitter that “I offered to resign last night and President Trump said, ‘Let’s talk about it tomorrow.’”
Bolton, a war hawk who previously served as US ambassador to the UN in the George W. Bush administration, had led the administration’s “maximum pressure” policy against Iran designed to cripple the country’s economy and possibly bring down the ayatollah regime.
He had been widely cheered by Israel’s right-wing government, which had pushed the administration to abandon the nuclear deal and take a more hawkish stance toward Iran.