WATCH: ABC News’ Martha Raddatz Grills Democrat Pete Buttigieg On Iran

ABC News' Martha Raddatz grilled far-left Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg on Iran over the weekend, calling him out for not truthfully acknowledging what is going on.

Buttigieg blamed National Security Adviser John Bolton for escalating tensions with Iran, saying that Bolton was trying to "prosecute a case to lead to higher tensions, escalation and perhaps conflict with Iran."

"But this is also based on intelligence and the military," Raddatz responded. "Central Command -- you know Central Command very well -- they asked for these troops for force protection, based on intelligence about missiles in some Iranian boats, so this is not John Bolton asking for this. This is the military."

Buttigieg tried to deflect from Raddatz pointing out that his statements were false.

 

"But let me stick to this because it's based on intelligence," Raddatz pressed. "Do you believe the intelligence?"

 

WATCH:

Ryan Saavedra

✔@RealSaavedra

Democrat Pete Buttigieg blames John Bolton for escalation w/Iran

Martha Raddatz: "This is not John Bolton asking for this. This is the military."

Buttigieg tries to deflect

Raddatz: "Let me stick to this because it’s based on intelligence. Do you believe the intelligence?"

3:16 AM - May 27, 2019

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Transcript provided via ABC News:

RADDATZ: I want to move to foreign policy. The -- the Pentagon is sending 1,500 more military personnel over to the Middle East to deter Iran. Is that a good idea? Is that something you would have approved?

BUTTIGIEG: This is not a good sign. Escalation is the last thing we need in the Middle East right now. And when you see what's been happening, it appears that the administration, driven by the way by John Bolton, one of the architects of the Iraq War, is continuing to try to prosecute a case to lead to higher tensions, escalation and perhaps conflict with Iran as though we learned nothing from the last 15 years of armed conflict -- conflict in the Middle East.

RADDATZ: But this is also based on intelligence and the military. Central Command -- you know Central Command very well -- they asked for these troops for force protection, based on intelligence about missiles in some Iranian boats, so this is not John Bolton asking for this. This is the military.

BUTTIGIEG: Look, there is clearly a pattern of misbehavior and provocation by the Iranians that goes back in different ways across my entire lifetime.

RADDATZ: But let me stick to this because it's based on intelligence. Do you believe the intelligence?

BUTTIGIEG: Well, I can't weigh in on intelligence that I haven't seen, but what I do see is a pattern...

RADDATZ: But you've heard people in the military, commanders in the military today, saying, this was the intelligence they found.

BUTTIGIEG: And I think our national security policy has to be to avoid escalation in the Persian Gulf.

RADDATZ: But how do you do that if you're under threat? So if they think their forces need to be protected more and you don't send more…

BUTTIGIEG: I think that we have the means to protect our assets in the Middle East. And the way this is being talked about makes me wonder whether this -- this is driven as much by domestic politics as it is by national security imperatives.