Bolton: U.S. ready to negotiate with Iran

Netanyahu took the opportunity to reiterate Israel’s tough stance on Iran.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF

June 25, 2019 10:02

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Security Advisor John Bolton in Jerusalem, June 23, 2019

US National Security Advisor John Bolton met with his Russian counterpart, Nikolai Patrushev, and Israel’s National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat on Tuesday in an unprecedented trilateral meeting in Jerusalem. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended the opening ceremony as well.

“The president has held the door open for real negotiations [with Iran],” Bolton said about US President Donald Trump, even though Iran has continued its terrorist activity. “All Iran needs to do is walk through that open door.”

Netanyahu took the opportunity to reiterate Israel’s tough stance on Iran, emphasizing that Israel’s actions against Iran in Syria is for the safety of everyone.

“Israel will respond forcefully to any such attacks [by Iran],” Netanyahu said. “We have acted hundreds of times.”

Ben-Shabbat stood behind Netanyahu, saying that regional stability could not be obtained without stopping Iran.

Patrushev also addressed the topic of Syria and said Russia has taken steps to fight against terrorism. The Russian delegate also said that It is extremely important to guarantee Israel’s security, especially because there are 2 million Russians in Israel.

Bolton, who has been in Israel since Sunday, met with Patrushev on Monday to prepare for a meeting on Thursday between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 meeting in Osaka, Japan.

Although Bolton came to Israel for the scheduled trilateral meeting, Bolton said, “current circumstances in the region make our conversations even more timely.”

On Sunday, Bolton met with Netanyahu. Bolton’s message was that Iran should not mistake prudence for weakness and that Iran does not have a license to do what it wants in the region.