How John Bolton won the war on Iran policy via SeanDNaylor
During the 17-month tenure of John Bolton as President Trump’s national security adviser, representatives from government agencies with a stake in Iran policy would meet regularly in a secure room in the Old Executive Office Building or in the situation room in the West Wing of the White House.
Bolton’s arrival at the NSC in April 2018 marked a sharp change in the way the council approached Iran. Under Bolton’s predecessor, Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, the NSC functioned as “an organizing body,” a policy-neutral organization teeing up issues for decisions by policymakers at Cabinet or sub-Cabinet level, according to the former senior administration official. But under Bolton, “it became like a policy-making branch,” he said.
Behind the scenes, Greenway has wielded significant influence on the administration’s policy toward Tehran, and wrote much of the administration’s original Iran strategy, which the White House rolled out in fall 2017, according to two sources. While Coates can sketch the outlines of the Iran strategy, “when it comes down to the actual substance it’s Rob,” a Pentagon official said.
As a result, when Bolton was the national security adviser, a “little civil war” developed among Trump’s advisers on Iran, according to the former administration official. “Victoria, Rob and Brian Hook had their own club, so they’re sort of allies together,” the former administration official said. Facing off against them, “Bolton, Tim Morrison [and] Rich Goldberg had their own sort of silo.”
But with Bolton urging him on, Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal in May 2018, less than two months after announcing that Bolton would be his national security adviser. To Pentagon officials, the administration’s policy “just seemed backward,” the former senior administration official said “I’ve served through many administrations, but I’ve never heard of having this done this way,” he said.
The same thing happened when the Pentagon officials argued against designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization, according to the former senior administration official. The NSC’s summary of conclusions made it appear as if the Pentagon was in favor of the step.
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