For a view on the latest developments in the war with Iran, we turn now to John Bolton,

former national security advisor and President Trump's first term. During his tenure, the U.S.

announced it was withdrawing from the JCPOA, that's the nuclear agreement with Iran,

negotiated during the Obama administration. Pastor Bolton, welcome back to the NewsHour. Thanks for

joining us. Thanks for having me.

So you've been saying in recent interviews repeatedly that you do not believe the U.S. should be negotiating with Iran or working towards a deal that the U.S. needs to use military force to open the Strait of Hormuz.

Explain to us what that means what it would look like.

Well, the Iranians have made palpable what was a potential threat to close the strait of Hormuz for many years. And people discounted it. We benefited from it from lower

oil prices. Now they've closed it and threatened the use of force.

I think that their efforts to negotiate a reopening of the strait are simply intended to demonstrate

that they do control it and that you have to bargain with them before they'll consent to let

Arab oil and other cargoes come out of the Gulf.

I think that's a mistake because if they negotiate an end to the blockade of their own oil

and opening the strait to everybody else, I think they'll believe they can turn the strait of Hormuz on and off like a light switch.

And if we're not prepared to use force today, who in the future is going to be prepared to use it?

I don't understand why the Gulf Arabs can even contemplate this, but I think we have a larger obligation because if this precedent is established in the Strait of Hormuz, not only will it have continuing negative economic consequences for the world

because of the oil and gas coming from the Gulf, but it will call into question every other

international waterway similar to the geography of the Strait of Hormuz, like the Dardanelles

and the Bospers in Turkey, like the Strait of Malacca between Malaya and Malaysia and Indonesia.

These have been deemed for centuries to be international waterways to which ships have

right of free passage.

And if that is taken away, this is a much bigger change than just the straight of Hormuz.

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