John Bolton calls for ‘disproportionate’ strikes inside Iran after US deaths

Former national security adviser John Bolton called for “disproportionate” strikes inside Iran after a drone attack killed three U.S. service members in Jordan over the weekend.

Bolton said Sunday night on NewsNation that the U.S. needs to carry out retaliatory attacks in the wake of the deadly drone strike. He said the U.S. needs to “impose enough pain on Iran” to ensure it does not attempt a similar attack on the U.S. again.

“To be clear, I don’t think it should be proportionate. I think it should be disproportionate. That’s how you create deterrence in the mind of your adversary, that the cost to them of attacking our forces is so high they won’t do it again,” he said.

Three service members were killed and another two dozen were injured in the drone attack in Jordan near the Syria border Saturday. President Biden said the attack was carried out by “radical Iran-backed militant groups” operating in Iraq and Syria, but Iran has since denied any involvement.

In the aftermath of the attack, GOP lawmakers called on Biden to retaliate against Iran and criticized him for past failed responses to other Iran-linked attacks.

Bolton suggested the U.S. target Iranian naval vessels in the Red Sea, Quds Force bases in western Iran and other air defense locations in Iran.

“Any or all of them could be targets,” said Bolton, who served in the Trump administration. “None of this threatens the regime in Tehran — not that that would particularly bother me, but for those who are nervous — none of that threatens the regime, but it sends a very clear message.”

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby appeared on numerous morning news shows Monday to emphasize the U.S. is looking into Biden’s options for a response.

“That said, we certainly know Iran’s backing these groups,” Kirby said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

“We know that they are resourcing, they’re supplying, in some cases they’re providing information that allows these groups to do this. We’re taking that very seriously. We don’t want to wider war with, with Iran. We don’t want a wider war in the region, but we got to do what we have to do.”

NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.