For Iran, China, Russia, Bolton’s coup confession no surprise

Diplomats from Iran, China, and Russia have reacted to former US national security adviser John Bolton’s confession that he had a role in planning a number of coups outside the States.

The trio said such confessions are not surprising as interference in the internal affairs of other countries is characteristic of the United States.

Bolton admitted in an interview with CNN on July 12 that he had "helped plan coups d'etat – not here, but, you know, other places."

The remarks came while the program was discussing the topic of the day’s congressional hearing on the January 2021 Capitol riot and a potential coup attempt by ex-President Donald Trump.

“As somebody who has helped plan coup d’états, not here, but, you know, other places, it takes a lot of work,” Bolton said. Later in his remarks, he cited Venezuela as an example in his book. “I wrote about (the coup in) Venezuela in the book, and it turned out not to be successful.”

‘An open secret’

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kana'ani took to Twitter on Friday to react to Bolton's statement.

“Bolton's boasting about his role in attempted coups around the world made no one surprised,” wrote the spokesman, noting that “nefarious activities of a notorious government” were an "open secret" that were “made public.”

Iran went through a US-orchestrated coup in 1953.

In August of that year, British and American spy agencies led the coup against Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq of Iran. He nationalized Iran’s oil industry, which had been mainly controlled by the British-owned Anglo-Iranian Oil Company.

Kana’ani also pointed to a recent threat made by US President Joe Biden to use "force" against Iran as a "last resort" to confront its nuclear energy program. The Iranian official said such threats are doomed. “Good news: those policies, inc. ‘last resort’ threats, have failed & will continue to fail,” tweeted the diplomat. "[The] US have to change course."

‘Intervention element of US’ conduct’

Reacting to Bolton’s confession, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Washington's interference in the internal affairs of other states is inherent in the United States’ “code of conduct.”

Speaking in a daily news briefing on Wednesday, the Chinese official said, “It is not surprising that former senior US officials have admitted that they had planned coups in foreign countries.”

• Venezuelan parliament hits back at 'crazy' Bolton over coup confession

Possible US role in 2014 coup in Ukraine

Meanwhile, a top Russian diplomat reacted to Bolton's remarks, calling on Washington to acknowledge its role in the 2014 coup d'état in Ukraine.

“Everyone knows that the US tried to overthrow the president of Venezuela. Now we are waiting for the US to admit a key role in the illegal ‘Maidan’ coup in Ukraine in 2014, which is also no secret to anyone,” tweeted Dmitry Polyanskiy, the first deputy permanent representative of Russia to the United Nations, on July 12.

In mid-February 2014, dozens of people were killed by gunmen during street battles in the center of the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. Pro-EU protesters had staged sit-ins at the Maidan Square since November 2013 to protest against then-President Viktor Yanukovych’s refusal to sign an Association Agreement with Brussels in favor of closer ties with Russia.

Yanukovych was ousted on February 22. The ouster triggered in its turn pro-Russia protests in the country’s southern and eastern regions.

In a bid to crush the pro-Russia protests, Kiev launched military operations in mid-April, causing deadly clashes in the country’s two mainly Russian-speaking regions of Donetsk and Lugansk in eastern Ukraine.

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