John Bolton wanted war with Iran — but not like this | Today, Explained
March 28, 2026
Vox
Ambassador John Bolton, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, pushed for war with Iran for 20 years — but not like this. For years, even decades, John Bolton has argued for regime change in Iran and for America to take a proactive military role to make that happen. Bolton served as the US ambassador to the United Nations under George W.
Bush and, later, as national security advisor to Donald Trump during his first term. The partnership with Trump was fleeting, however. He did not leave the administration on good terms and has been a critic of Trump since. He’s even been indicted by Trump’s Department of Justice for the mishandling of classified documents. Despite that back story, it is still a bit confusing to hear one of America’s foremost Iran critics break with the Trump administration on this war. How did Trump lose the Republican party’s biggest Iran War Hawk? And why? Today, Explained publishes video episodes every Saturday tackling key issues in politics and culture. Subscribe to Vox’s YouTube channel to get them. New episodes of Today, Explained drop every day of the week on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite listening app. If you enjoy our reporting and want to hear more from Vox journalists, sign up for our Patreon at patreon.com/vox. Each month, our members get access to exclusive videos, livestreams, and chats with our newsroom. Chapter titles: 00:00 Intro 01:43 Seeking regime change in Iran 06:01 Why Trump went to war in Iran now 7:00 The Iran war debate: Trump 1 7:59 Was Iranian retaliation a consideration? 10:00 Reasons for the Iran war now 12:38 Trump’s stock market concerns 16:38 Lessons from Trump’s first term 18:46 Is regime change in Iran even possible? 20:25 Trump’s self-declared success 22:26 Did Iran pose an imminent nuclear threat? 23:42 The role of public opinion in the Iran war 25:00 How to bring about regime change Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H
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