Bolton warns Iran: Don’t mistake US ‘prudence’ for weakness

National security adviser John Bolton reportedly said on Sunday that Iran should not mistake the Trump administration’s “prudence and discretion” for weakness. 

Bolton said in Jerusalem that Tehran does not have a “hunting license in the Middle East,” according to The Associated Press.

{mosads}Bolton stressed while speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that President Trump only stopped a retaliatory strike against Iran for downing a U.S. drone “at this time,” the news service added.

Trump on Saturday announced new sanctions on Iran amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran.

“Iran cannot have Nuclear Weapons! Under the terrible Obama plan, they would have been on their way to Nuclear in a short number of years, and existing verification is not acceptable. We are putting major additional Sanctions on Iran on Monday,” Trump tweeted.

“I look forward to the day that Sanctions come off Iran, and they become a productive and prosperous nation again – The sooner the better!” he added. 

The sanctions come after Iran last week downed an unmanned U.S. surveillance drone that the Pentagon maintains was over international waters. Tehran, however, said the drone violated Iranian airspace.

Trump ordered retaliatory military strikes but called off the attack after learning that as many as 150 Iranians could be killed, saying the move would have been disproportionate.

Earlier this month, the U.S. said Iran was behind the bombings of two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman.

The Pentagon then announced the deployment of an additional 1,000 troops to the Middle East, citing threats in the region.

Iran responded by threatening to surpass the uranium enrichment limitations that were first implemented under the Obama-era nuclear deal.