John Bolton Says He Briefed Trump On Strait of Hormuz Scenarios That the President Now Claims Ignorance About [View all]
Source: MEDIAite
Mar 17th, 2026, 9:18 pm
Former National Security Advisor John Bolton told CNN he briefed President Donald Trump on multiple Iran retaliation scenarios during his first term, despite the president now claiming he’s “shocked” by Iran’s actions.
Bolton, who served under Trump before a public falling out, joined CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Tuesday evening, where he was surprised to hear Trump had “indicated” he wasn’t made aware of the potential of retaliatory strikes Iran has since made against neighboring countries and the Strait of Hormuz, where a significant amount of the world’s oil moves through.
“The president seemed to indicate yesterday that he had not been briefed on the potential that Iran might strike out at its neighbors or try to shut down the Strait of Hormuz. Is that conceivable to you that he would not have been briefed on those potential those potential, you know repercussions?” Cooper asked Bolton.
Bolton noted he’s long been a supporter of a “regime change campaign” in Iran — though he’s acknowledged “mistakes” Trump’s made with his strikes — and it’s one of the issues that set him at odds with officials in Trump’s first administration. He said he brought up scenarios of striking Iran multiple times and retaliatory strikes in the Strait of Hormuz and elsewhere were always brought up.
Read more: https://www.mediaite.com/media/tv/john-bolton-says-he-briefed-trump-on-strait-of-hormuz-scenarios-that-the-president-now-claims-ignorance-about/
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