It sounds like the plot of a 1960s spy movie rather than modern warfare, but John Bolton has claimed the alleged sabotage of Saudi oil tankers this month came from naval mines placed “almost certainly by Iran.” The claim, which was presented without evidence, was one of three allegations Donald Trump’s national security adviser made against Iran when speaking to journalists in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. Bolton also said there had been a previously unreported attempt to attack the Saudi oil port of Yanbu, and that there was “no reason” for Iran to back out of its nuclear deal with world powers other than to build atomic weapons. “The point is to make it very clear to Iran and its surrogates that these kinds of action risk a very strong response from the United States,” Bolton said. He refused to offer any evidence in blaming Iran for the string of alleged attacks, only offering the sarcastic response: “Who else would you think is doing it? Somebody from Nepal?”
