John Bolton
John BoltonReuters

Former US national security adviser John Bolton on Sunday strongly condemned the Biden administration for openly discouraging Israel from striking Iranian nuclear sites or oil fields.

Speaking on NewsNation’s “The Hill,” host Chris Stirewalt asked Bolton about President Joe Biden's comments made this past Friday.

Biden had said he would weigh "alternatives" to striking Iran's oil fields, a move which would devastate Iran's economy, if he were in Israel's place.

"If I were in their shoes, I'd be thinking about other alternatives than striking oilfields," Biden said.

Those comments came two days after Biden stated that he opposes an Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.

“The answer is no,” Biden said when questioned about the prospect of Israel launching a retaliatory strike on sites related to Iran’s nuclear weapons program.

Bolton, reacting to Biden's remarks, said on Sunday, “My first reaction was, it was just incompetence, or maybe it was mental capacity, or lack thereof.”

Bolton suggested that Biden might be seeking to prevent a larger conflict ahead of the upcoming November elections.

“But I think it’s pretty clear — because of a number of things he said, including one day last week saying, well, the Israeli attack won’t occur tonight — I think he’s trying to pressure Israel. I think he’s trying to put him in a box. I think all he cares about is avoiding this becoming a bigger issue than it already is before Nov. 5,” Bolton said, pointing out that petroleum prices could be a factor in Biden’s stance.

Bolton expressed doubt that Israel would simply follow US advice, emphasizing the challenging situation Israel faces in its region.

“They can’t really calibrate what they’re going to do to suit Joe Biden’s electoral concerns. They’ll make up their minds in Jerusalem when they think they’re ready and they reach an agreement inside the Cabinet,” he said.

Bolton also criticized Biden for publicly commenting on what actions Israel should take, especially regarding an adversary like Iran.

“I just think it’s wrong for an American president to speak publicly about what an American ally might do to an American enemy,” he stated. “We sure wouldn’t appreciate it if our quote, unquote allies were doing that to us.”

Former President Donald Trump responded to Biden’s comment and stated that he believes Israel should strike Iran's nuclear facilities, while criticizing the current President for opposing such strikes.

Speaking to voters in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Trump said, “I listened to Biden yesterday … they asked him, what do you think about Iran, would you hit Iran and he goes ‘as long as they don’t hit the nuclear stuff.' That's the thing you want to hit, right?"

“I think he’s got that one wrong, isn’t that the one you’re supposed to hit,” he added. “It’s the biggest risk we have, nuclear weapons.”