Former US National Security Adviser John Bolton has described the United States’ recent military operation in Iran as disorganized and lacking proper planning. Speaking to the BBC’s Newsnight program, Bolton said the attack was not well thought out and criticized the approach taken by President Donald Trump. Bolton, who served in Trump’s first term for just over a year, argued that the operation should have been carried out in a more deliberate and structured way.

He added that neither the American public, Congress, nor allied nations were prepared for such an action. Bolton, a long-time advocate of regime change in Tehran, also discussed Iran’s strategic position regarding the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passes. He noted that Iran now understands the potential destructive impact of blocking the strait, which could give it significant leverage over global energy exports.

Bolton has been a vocal critic of Trump since leaving the White House in 2019, describing the former president as unfit for office in his memoir.