On Monday, in his usual no-nonsense way, National Security Advisor John Bolton left no doubt about how tough the Trump administration will continued to be vis-à-vis Iran, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. Responding to a tweet from the most pro-Israel organization in America, the Zionist Organization of America, Bolton tweeted, “If the Iranian regime continues to lie, cheat, and deceive; if it threatens the United States and our allies; if it harms our citizens, there will be hell to pay.”
That tweet was a reiteration of what Bolton said on Sunday, addressing the ZOA, where he was given an award for his dedication to protecting Israel. Bolton pulled no punches about the Trump administration’s support for Israel and its clear-eyed view of the existential threat to Israel posed by Iran. He stated:
In September, President Trump and I were here in New York City for his speech to the United Nations General Assembly. During his remarks, the President made clear that the United States has embarked on a new foreign policy course. We are no longer apologizing for defending our national interests and our sovereignty. We are calling out our enemies, and standing by our friends. We are preventing foreign bureaucrats from dictating our means of self-defense and attacking our partners. Gone are the days when the United States sold out our allies, appeased murderous regimes, and tiptoed around obvious facts in the name of political correctness.
Speaking of the Trump administration’s historic move of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, Bolton asserted, “This important decision did more than simply acknowledge a clear reality on the ground. It did more than merely shift our principal diplomatic activities from Israel’s coast to the heart of the Holy Land. This decision, without a doubt, showed the world that the United States will once again stand for what is right and just. We will not sacrifice Israel’s security to garner praise at all the right cocktail parties, in all the wrong corners of the world.”
Bolton noted that the Trump administration withdrew from the anti-Israel United Nations Human Rights Council, pointing out that in 2006, he cast the U.S. vote against establishing the U.N. Human Rights Council. He commented, “It was one of the proudest votes I cast at the U.N. At that time, I warned Member States that the Council we created would become our legacy.” Bolton added. “Today, I want to be clear, this Council is also unworthy of American membership. It was unworthy in 2006, and it didn’t get any better with age.”
Then, the key, “From now on, U.S. participation in international institutions will be conditioned on the organization’s effectiveness and on whether or not it serves U.S. interests and the interests of our allies.”
Bolton condemned the International Criminal Court, adding, “We will not cooperate. We will provide no assistance. And, we certainly will not join. The ICC is an illegitimate, unaccountable, and unconstitutional foreign bureaucracy that has the audacity to consider asserting jurisdiction over American and Israeli citizens without their consent. The Court is flawed at its core, and we will let it die on its own.”
Bolton noted, “Atrocities continue unabated in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya — and in many other areas — despite ongoing ICC investigations. The world’s monstrous dictators and despots are not deterred by The Hague’s toiling bureaucrats and robed judges. What a surprise! The ICC’s real purpose is of course not to punish these perpetrators, but to constrain the foreign policies of the United States and our allies like Israel.”
Bolton outlined how the ICC first targeted Israel before it turned its gunsights on the U.S.:
While the ICC has gladly welcomed the membership of the so-called “State of Palestine,” it has threatened to investigate Israeli housing projects, and it has targeted Israeli actions against terrorists in the West Bank and Gaza. In November of last year, the ICC Prosecutor also requested to investigate alleged war crimes supposedly committed by U.S. service members and intelligence professionals during the war in Afghanistan. This outcome was entirely predictable. First, the global governance apostles go after Israel. Then, they come for the United States.
Bolton made certain to focus on Iran, and he did it speaking bluntly:
Of course, we know that the primary obstacle to enduring peace and stability in the Middle East is none other than the murderous Iranian dictatorship in Tehran. The ayatollahs steal from their people to fund their worldwide campaign of chaos, destruction, and bloodshed. The regime has long been the world’s central banker for terrorism, and it remains the leading state sponsor of terror to this day. Over the decades, Iran has kidnapped, tortured, and murdered American and Israeli citizens. It has attacked our embassies, and targeted our service members. The mullahs proudly chant “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.” At least we are in good company.
This brutal dictatorship can never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon.
Bolton made clear the difference between the Trump administration and its predecessor:
The State of Israel was founded in the wake of the worst atrocities known to man. The lessons of appeasement are deeply engrained in all those who understand this important history and are determined to prevent the mistakes of the past. Our solemn pledge, “Never Again,” will mean nothing if we allow a regime that calls for the total annihilation of Israel to possess the world’s deadliest weapons.
Not on our watch.
We remember the dangers of naïve hopes, and unenforceable promises. Unfortunately, the deal’s negotiators clearly did not.
The 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal failed to permanently block all paths to an Iranian nuclear bomb. Further, its negotiators failed to secure any restrictions on Iran’s other destabilizing activities, including the regime’s ballistic missile development and proliferation.
Earlier this year, we saw undeniable proof of what we had long known: the 2015 agreement was built on a flat lie, the absurd claim that the Iranian regime desired only a peaceful nuclear program.
In April, Israeli intelligence proved once and for all that Iran had long pursued nuclear weapons, and that it had lied about it repeatedly to the United States and the world.
After offering evidence of Iran’s continued maleficence, both in its pursuit of nuclear weapons and its financing of deadly terrorism across the globe, Bolton stated, “As I said at the United Nations in September, if the Iranian regime continues to lie, cheat, and deceive; if it threatens the United States and our allies; if it harms our citizens, there will indeed be HELL to PAY. In case there is any doubt, I meant what I said.”
Bolton concluded:
The citizens of the United States and Israel share a profound faith in God and a pervasive and ever-present awareness of our history. We understand the sacrifices of those who came before us, to build our nations, to carve out a home for freedom and liberty, to defend our security, and safeguard our future … We are standing united on the international stage. We are condemning and defunding anti-Semitic and anti-Israel organizations. We are striving toward a future of peace for all in the Middle East.
And, we are doing what is right by our people and the world.