U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton warned that Iran should not “mistake U.S. prudence and discretion for weakness.”. He was referring to President Donald Trump’s decision the other week to abruptly called off military strikes against Iran in response to the shooting down of an unmanned American surveillance drone.
Bolton’s tough message seemed to be aimed not only at Tehran, but also at reassuring key U.S. allies that the White House remains committed to maintaining pressure on Iran.
Trump’s last-minute change of heart appears to have raised questions about U.S. willingness to use force against the Islamic Republic.
Trump says he backed away from the planned strikes after learning 150 people would be killed. But Bolton, a longtime Iran hawk, emphasized that the U.S. reserved the right to attack at a later point. He also said a new set of sanctions on Iran are expected to be announced Monday.
The US launched a cyber-attack on Iranian weapons systems on Thursday as President Trump pulled out of air strikes on the country, US reports say.
The cyber-attack disabled computer systems controlling rocket and missile launchers, the Washington Post said.
It was in retaliation for the shooting down of a US drone as well as attacks on oil tankers that the US has blamed Iran for, the New York Times said.
