John Bolton warns Trump’s Iran strategy could trigger nuclear arms race across Middle East

WASHINGTON, DC: Former national security advisor John Bolton warned on Sunday, June 7, that President Donald Trump’s approach to the conflict with Iran could contribute to a wider nuclear arms race in the Middle East.

In an opinion article published by The Wall Street Journal, Bolton argued that uncertainty surrounding US policy and any future agreement with Tehran could prompt regional countries to reconsider their own nuclear ambitions. His comments came as the United States continues negotiations aimed at ending the three-month conflict and addressing Iran’s nuclear program.

John Bolton warns Middle East will become 'more unstable' if race for nuclear weapons accelerates

Bolton argued that Trump’s actions during the conflict have created concerns among US allies in the region. “Whatever 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,” the former US ambassador to the United Nations wrote.

He warned that the consequences could extend beyond Iran itself. “If the race for nuclear weapons widens and accelerates, the region will become more unstable, heightening risks for the entire world,” he added.

According to Bolton, questions about the reliability of US conventional and nuclear deterrence could lead some nations to explore their own nuclear capabilities.

“If America’s 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,” he wrote.

Bolton further argued that Iran’s government remains the central source of instability in the region. “Mr Trump and Iran’s internal opposition must remove or gravely weaken the principal threat to regional peace: Tehran’s regime,” he wrote.

Trump says US and Iran are 'very close' to a deal

Bolton’s warning came as Trump expressed optimism about negotiations with Tehran during an interview with NBC News. “We’re very close,” the commander-in-chief said. “They’ve conceded the fact that they will not have nuclear weapons.”

Trump said negotiations were focused on ensuring Iran could neither develop nor acquire nuclear weapons and suggested the US could help dismantle Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium under a future agreement.

“If we make a deal that now we’re friendly, we’ll all go together. It’ll be our equipment. We’ll take it out and destroy it, whether it’s on-site or whether we take it off-site,” the Republican leader said.

He also reiterated that military options remain available if negotiations fail. “We’re going to take them out militarily very harshly. And we’ll wait till we do that before we go, in which case we’ll have safety either way,” Trump said. Tensions remained elevated on Sunday after Iran and Israel exchanged strikes.