WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump's national security adviser outlined the administration's long-awaited counterterrorism strategy on Thursday and offered harsh words for Iran.
John Bolton called Iran the "central banker of international terrorism." He said the strategy will rely on military and nonmilitary means to fight extremists, focusing on Daesh militants as well as those backed by Iran and other groups.
Bolton said the US wants to isolate militants from their supporters, modernize tools to counter them, protect US infrastructure and stymie recruitment efforts.
The plan that Trump has approved also calls for strengthening border control, limiting militants' ability to recruit online and sharing the burden with allies.
It is the first US strategy on counterterrorism since President Barack Obama released his approach in 2011.
Bolton said that the US' objective is that "there would be no waivers for purchasers of Iranian crude," and that the US could look at possible cuts leading to zero.
