Former US national security adviser John Bolton has said he views the American strikes on Iran as justified, arguing that Tehran’s leadership rather than its policies alone lies at the heart of the conflict.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Bolton accused the Iranian authorities of a long-standing pattern of misleading negotiators over their nuclear ambitions. He also criticised Tehran for refusing to engage on its ballistic missile programme and for what he described as backing terrorism beyond its borders.

He said recent events had only reinforced his belief that Iran’s leadership had been trying to stall for time rather than enter meaningful negotiations.

According to Bolton, that record makes genuine good-faith diplomacy impossible.

He went on to argue that the current Iranian government represents the central obstacle to stability in the region. Bolton, who has for years supported a more forceful approach towards Tehran, said there could be no durable peace in the Middle East unless the regime was removed and Iranians were able to choose their own future.