During an interview with Fox News Monday, National Security Adviser John Bolton said that Trump’s newly imposed sanctions on Iran were not designed to topple the regime, and were merely intended to influence its behavior.
“Our policy is not regime change,” Bolton said, according to Politico. “We want to put unprecedented pressure on the government of Iran to change its behavior. And so far they’ve shown no indication they’re prepared to do that.” As The Daily Beast reported this morning, the new sanctions will take effect at midnight Monday and will ban trading with Iran that includes precious metals and coal, among other goods. When pressed about the public protests for regime change, Bolton doubled down, noting that the protests were not related to the new sanctions. “I think this regime is on very shaky ground,” he said. “The real question is whether the revolutionary guards corp and ayatollahs will use force against their own people.” He then reiterated that “What we’re focused on is the nuclear weapons program, ballistic missiles, the support for terrorism, and the belligerent activity militarily.” Politico
