John Bolton resigned after President Trump suggested going easy on Iran, report says

John Bolton resigned as President Donald Trump's national security adviser over disagreement about relieving sanctions on Iran.

According to Axios, Bolton resigned one day after Trump suggested relieving severe economic sanctions on the Islamic nation, a source close to Bolton told the news outlet.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Bolton did not agree with giving Iran sanction relief and "believed the maximum pressure campaign was working," Axios reported.

The conversation happened Monday. By Tuesday, Bolton resigned his post.

One day later, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani "signaled approval" of Bolton's departure, the Associated Press reported. Bolton is widely seen as a war hawk, which certainly made Iran uneasy given increased tensions Iran has generated in the Middle East this year.

The Daily Beast reported this week that Trump is actively considering offering Iran a $15 billion line-of-credit under the condition that Tehran complies with rules established by former President Barack Obama's nuclear deal.

Despite Bolton telling reporters that he resigned on his own accord, Trump claimed that he asked for Bolton's resignation because Bolton's "services" were "no longer needed" in his administration.