Bolton to press UK on stronger response to Iran, Huawei: report

White House national security adviser John Bolton plans to urge British officials to take a tougher line on Iran and Chinese telecom firm Huawei during a meeting in London this weekend, according to Reuters.

While the U.K. has so far indicated it will follow the European Union in remaining in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which the U.S. withdrew from in 2018, British officials are under pressure to crack down following Iran’s seizure of a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.

{mosads}Bolton plans to tell British officials that a U.K. exit from the pact will increase pressure on Tehran, according to Reuters, citing a senior Trump administration official.

The Trump administration is also increasingly pushing the U.K. and other allies to stop using Huawei equipment, concerned the 5G technology poses a security risk. The British government under former Prime Minister Theresa May gave Huawei limited access to parts of its 5G network, but Bolton hopes to persuade the new government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson to take a tougher stance.

Bolton will try to persuade Johnson’s government that Huawei is an entity of the Chinese government and that its technology could be used to spy on any communications going through its system, according to Reuters.

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.