Trump’s cancellation of retaliatory strikes on Iran over drone attack not sign of ‘weakness’: John Bolton

‘I never called the strike against Iran “BACK,” I just stopped it from going forward at this time,’ US president tweeted

While US president is said to have called off strikes on Iran on Thursday, he authorised cyberattacks instead, according to media reports

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US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before leaving the White House on Saturday. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 10:00am, 23 Jun 2019Updated: 11:07pm, 23 Jun 2019

United States National Security Advisor John Bolton warned Tehran on Sunday of misinterpreting as “weakness” President Donald Trump’s last-minute cancellation of a retaliatory strike on Iran after it attacked an unmanned US military aircraft.

“Neither Iran nor any other hostile actor should mistake US prudence and discretion for weakness,” said Bolton ahead of a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.

“Our military is rebuilt new and ready to go,” he added, after Trump called off a planned attack on Iran on Thursday.

Trump on Saturday said he was still considering military action against Iran, saying the use of force is “always on the table until we get this solved”.

Days after initially saying he found it “hard to believe” the shooting down was intentional, Trump accused Iran of “knowingly” targeting the plane.

He again claimed he aborted a planned military strike set for Thursday after learning around 150 Iranians would be killed.