Bolton says Israel should destroy Iran's nuclear weapons program

Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton said Israel should “destroy” Iran’s nuclear weapons program during a Wednesday appearance on NewsNation.

Iran launched nearly 200 missiles into Israel on Tuesday in response to a series of targeted killings carried out by Israel that have left several leaders of militia groups alligned with Tehran dead.

Israel is widely expected to launch strikes on Iran in response to the Tuesday attack. Bolton, a hawk who served as former President Trump's national security adviser before breaking with him, argued for an aggressive approach.

“Israel should destroy Iran's nuclear weapons program. There are plenty of other things they could destroy as well, oil loading facilities, Revolutionary Guard bases and headquarters, ballistic missile assets,” Bolton said.

He noted that Israel has twice now faced missile strikes from Iran: in April in addition to Tuesday.

Most of the missiles launched Tuesday into Israel by Iran were stopped by Israel with the help of U.S. naval destroyer ships. Israeli defense leaders held a security Cabinet meeting following the weapon deployment where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran “will pay” for its “mistake.”

Bolton said the attack was a clear indicator of future threats, stating, “the next time Israel cannot know that under the nose cone of an incoming ballistic missile might be a nuclear weapon.”

He added that risk is “unacceptable.”

“I would hope the United States government would cooperate with Israel in eliminating this nuclear threat. As George W. Bush once said, we cannot allow the world's most dangerous weapons to fall into the hands of the world's most dangerous regimes, and that's what Iran is,” Bolton later added. “This is the moment to act.”