Former U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton warned President Donald Trump against stepping back from the conflict with Iran, arguing that recent U.S. military action had badly damaged Tehran’s military-industrial complex and that easing pressure now would hand Iran a political advantage over the Strait of Hormuz (a key Gulf oil shipping route). In a Monday post on X and in a CNN interview, Bolton said it would be a mistake to leave Iran in what he called a superior political position while U.S. goals remained unclear. He urged Washington to maintain the blockade on Iran, use force if needed to reopen the Gulf Arab side of the strait for oil shipments, and target Iranian missile launchers rather than depend mainly on missile-defense systems (weapons used to intercept incoming attacks). His remarks came as Iran said intermediaries were exchanging messages with the U.S. over reopening the waterway, even as Tehran repeated demands including sanctions relief, an end to the naval blockade, a U.S. troop withdrawal, war reparations and an end to attacks on Iranian allies.