President Trump’s former National Security Advisor John Bolton, who also served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations during the George W. Bush administration, warned the current Trump administration against unfreezing Iran’s assets.
As seen below on Bloomberg This Weekend, Bolton said unfreezing Iran’s assets will be a “huge mistake.”
When asked if he’s confident in President Trump’s current advisors — real estate mogul Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner — and if they “have the strategic knowhow or sense to improve the situation” with Iran, Bolton replied: “I don’t think they understand the kinds of tradeoffs they’re making.”
Unfreezing Iran’s assets will be a ‘huge mistake,’ says former National Security Advisor John Bolton. He spoke with Christina Ruffini and David Gura on ‘Bloomberg This Weekend.’ Watch the show LIVE every Saturday and Sunday from 7-10AM ET. pic.twitter.com/e96lamyzUY
— Bloomberg (@business) June 1, 2026
Bolton added, “One of the most controversial aspects, that’s still very murky in this deal, is whether the United States is going to unfreeze frozen Iranian assets and make available to them other resources. I think that would be a huge mistake.”
Bolton explained: “It’s one thing to provide frozen assets to a real government in Iran that represents the people. If we provide this government frozen assets it will entrench itself still further. And I don’t think real estate brokers understand that’s what’s at stake. It’s not about economic development in Iran for that money, it’s about re-entrenching and enabling the regime to stay in power. That would be very bad politically for Trump if that’s what works out.”
[NOTE: Bolton was also an opponent of Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, as was Trump, who pulled out of it. Bolton called it “a total failure.” Equating aspects of the new deal with the Obama-era agreement, Bolton told Bloomberg: “Any deal similar to the JCPOA would be a total failure. Iran’s strategic determination to acquire nuclear weapons has never changed.”]
The 2015 Obama era nuclear deal was a total failure.
Any deal similar to the JCPOA would be a total failure.
Iran’s strategic determination to acquire nuclear weapons has never changed.https://t.co/xOe8gKsj1e
— John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) June 1, 2026
Since April, it has been reported that Trump is considering unfreezing $20 billion in Iranian assets — after years of harshly criticizing President Obama for unfreezing $400 million for Iran in 2016, which resulted in the release of four American prisoners and a nuclear deal.