US military 'ready to go': Bolton warns Iran not to ‘mistake US prudence for weakness’

Tehran should not interpret Washington’s lack of military action as a sign of weakness, John Bolton has warned, hinting that Donald Trump’s last-minute decision to call off strikes against the Islamic Republic could be reversed.

The US National Security Advisor made the dissuasive remark while speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Sunday.

Tehran should not “mistake US prudence and discretion for weakness,” Bolton cautioned.

"Our military is rebuilt, new and ready to go," he added, days after Trump called off a planned attack on Iran, a chosen response to Tehran downing a US drone on Thursday.

Citing a planned strike against Iranian targets which US President Donald Trump called off, Bolton emphasized that Trump had only stopped the attack from “going forward at this time” – an indication that the decision may only be temporary.

According to reports, the US was gearing up to strike several targets inside Iran after a US drone was shot down by the Iranian military. Trump says he called off the attack after learning that an estimated 150 Iranians would be killed.

Bolton is in Jerusalem to attend a trilateral meeting of top security officials from the United States, Israel and Russia. The growing hostility between Washington and Tehran is expected to be at the top of the agenda. 

Iran has blamed Washington for ratcheting up tensions following Trump’s decision to unilaterally withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal and reimpose sanctions. Tehran has stressed that it does not want war, but will respond with force to any US attack.

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