Former National Security Adviser John Bolton told Newsmax on Wednesday the United States could use military force to ensure commercial access through the Strait of Hormuz while maintaining economic pressure on Iran.
Speaking on “Bianca Across the Nation,” Bolton said the Trump administration has options to counter any Iranian efforts to restrict maritime traffic through the strategic waterway.
“I think it’s legitimate for the U.S. to use military force to open the strait for commerce from the Gulf Arab states.”
Bolton argued that maintaining access for Gulf Arab states while continuing restrictions on Iran would increase energy supplies and help reduce costs for consumers.
“Let their oil and natural gas get out, let their other products get out, keep the blockade against Iran, keep the pressure on Iran financially,” he said.
The Strait of Hormuz carries a significant share of globally traded oil and liquefied natural gas. Concerns about shipping through the waterway have periodically rattled energy markets amid tensions between Iran and Western nations.
Iran on Tuesday stopped communicating with mediators about extending a ceasefire in the war with the U.S. and Israel, according to reports from two semiofficial Iranian news agencies.
President Donald Trump disputed the claim and said talks were continuing.
“The conversations between us have been going on continuously, including four days ago, three days ago, two days ago, one day ago, and today,” Trump said in a social media post. “Where they lead, one never knows, but as I told Iran, ‘It’s time, one way or another, for you to make a Deal.'”
Bolton said maintaining access for Gulf Arab states while continuing restrictions on Iran would “maybe not full pre-war production out, but a lot from the Arab states that could lower the price of oil internationally, lower the price at the pump in the U.S.”
Bolton, a longtime Iran hawk who served as national security adviser during Trump’s first term, has consistently advocated a hard-line approach toward Tehran.
