FILE: National Security Adviser John Bolton arrives to speak at the commencement for the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn.
(AP)
U.S. national security adviser John Bolton said on Wednesday that ships sabotaged off the United Arab Emirates coast were attacked “almost certainly by Iran.”
Bolton made the comments to journalists in Abu Dhabi ahead of planned meetings with to Emirati officials. He did not offer evidence to support his comments.
The U.S. recently deployed an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the Persian Gulf over a still-unexplained threat it perceives from Tehran. The U.S. also pulled nonessential diplomats out of Iraq.
Emirati officials also say four ships off their coast were sabotaged. Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have also launched drone attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Bolton dismissed the idea that there was any difference between his positions and Trump, saying: “I am the national security adviser, not the national security decider.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.