John Bolton Says US Holds ‘Great Advantage’ In Iran But ‘Hasn’t Finished The Job’ As Trump Wants To Win By ‘Bigger Margin’

Former White House national security adviser John Bolton said Sunday that the United States “hasn’t finished the job” in Iran, arguing that President Donald Trump still has military and political leverage more than two months after the conflict began.

Bolton Says Trump Has More Leverage

“Well, it’s anybody’s guess at this point, I think the United States holds a great advantage here, but it hasn’t finished the job that was started,” Bolton told NewsNation’s Chris Stirewalt on The Hill Sunday. He added, “My definition of finishing the job is ousting the regime in Tehran, but there are steps less than that that [President] Trump could take, and I’m a little surprised that he hasn’t done it.”

Trump said Thursday that he was not satisfied with the state of the conflict or stalled talks with Iran. “We’ve already won, but I want to win by a bigger margin,” he told Newsmax’s Greta Van Susteren. Trump said U.S. and allied strikes had destroyed Iranian facilities, but added, “We have to have guarantees they will never have a nuclear weapon.”

Trump Launches New Hormuz Ship Mission

Tehran said Sunday it was reviewing the U.S. response to its latest proposal to end the war, while insisting the talks were not nuclear negotiations. The dispute widened the gap between Trump’s claim of military success and Bolton’s argument that Washington has not achieved a decisive outcome.

The comments came as Trump announced “Project Freedom,” a U.S. military effort to guide commercial ships out of the Strait of Hormuz. Trump called the naval mission a humanitarian gesture for neutral vessels and crews stranded by the conflict and blockade. U.S. Central Command said the operation would include guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 land- and sea-based aircraft, unmanned platforms and 15,000 service members.

Poll Shows Public Opposes Iran War

Public support remains weak. A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll last Friday found that 61% of Americans said the Trump administration was wrong to launch military action against Iran.

The war has also kept pressure on consumers. The Strait of Hormuz, a key oil route, has remained largely closed, and AAA reported that the national average gas price reached about $4.45 a gallon, up from $3.17 a year ago.

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