US President Donald Trump failed to prepare the political ground before launching the operation in Iran, former national security adviser John Bolton said in an interview with NBC News.
He said that while the US military had “done an extraordinary job”, Trump had failed to prepare the ground politically and present a convincing argument for regime change in Iran. Bolton noted that Congress and US allies had also not been adequately engaged in the discussions.
Bolton expressed concern that the administration had failed to engage with the Iranian opposition, which he assessed as widely represented but poorly organized, and which would play a key role in the eventual weakening of the regime. According to the former adviser, the US should negotiate with Iranian generals and defectors and facilitate the formation of an interim government if the regime collapses.
“As the regime crumbles under the pressure we are exerting, we need to find a way to overthrow it, remove it and install an interim military government. We cannot do it alone, but if we do not help the opposition, perhaps they will not be able to do it either“, he said.
Bild earlier reported a split in Trump's inner circle: two camps have formed - supporters of Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President J.D. Vance. According to sources in the publication, Trump has discussed a possible successor with major donors and most of them have supported Rubio. However, Vance is more popular among MAGA (Make America Great Again) supporters and Republicans. According to an Emerson College poll, his support is 52% to Rubio's 20%.
The article states that Vance's current position in the administration may negatively affect his approval rating now, but could benefit him in the 2028 presidential election, as some voters are skeptical of new military conflicts. Recent public opinion polls show that American society is divided in half on this issue, with those who oppose military action prevailing.
Against this background, the Financial Times reported that in the first two weeks of the operation, the US exhausted critical ammunition stockpiled for several years, including Tomahawk cruise missiles. Meanwhile, the “New York Times“ reported that Iran is better prepared for war than the US administration expected, as evidenced by the losses in the first week of military action.