The Wall Street Journal reports:
President Trump’s National Security Council asked the Pentagon to provide the White House with military options to strike Iran last year, generating concern at the Pentagon and State Department, current and former U.S. officials said. The request, which hasn’t been previously reported, came after militants fired three mortars into Baghdad’s sprawling diplomatic quarter, home to the U.S. Embassy, on a warm night in early September. The shells — launched by a group aligned with Iran — landed in an open lot and harmed no one.
But they triggered unusual alarm in Washington, where Mr. Trump’s national security team led by John Bolton conducted a series of meetings to discuss a forceful American response, including what many saw as the unusual request for options to strike Iran. “It definitely rattled people,” a former senior U.S. administration official said of the request. “People were shocked. It was mind-boggling how cavalier they were about hitting Iran.”
The National Security Council, led by John Bolton, last year sought options for military strikes in Iran, alarming the Pentagon and State Department. https://t.co/LZbeVHo0Cy
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) January 13, 2019
John Bolton, who may be insane, is a threat to national security. The fact that Mike Pompeo, who made the ridiculous “swagger” video, goes along with him shows how the risks are magnified when frivolous amateurs run things. https://t.co/z5vzoadkp7
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) January 13, 2019
Last September, Trump’s National Security Advisor John Bolton asked the Pentagon to develop plans to launch an attack on Iran. Bolton previously wrote an op-ed urging the US to bomb Iran. Now that Defense Secretary Mattis has left, who will stop Bolton? https://t.co/Hjku5ZXvJ0
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) January 13, 2019
In which the @WSJ provides your occasional reminder that when it comes to Iran, John Bolton and Mike Pompeo are batshit insane. https://t.co/YVIojDpgl1
— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) January 13, 2019