Speaking at the eighth annual Herzliya Conference on Israeli defense and peace policy this week, former US ambassador to the UN John Bolton said the Jewish state must realize that it is now the only nation willing and able to carry out a last resort military strike against Iran's nuclear program.

Bolton explained that last year's US National Intelligence Estimate suggesting that Iran abandoned its quest for nuclear arms years ago made it all but impossible for President George W. Bush to authorize US military action against Iran before the end of his term.

What's worse, said Bolton, is that the contested intelligence report had all but relegated the US to the position of a bystander in the Iran nuclear crisis, severely blunting its ability to even influence the imposing of sanctions.

Bolton said Israel's strike on a suspected nuclear facility deep inside Syria last year had greatly concerned and even struck fear in the Iranian leadership, and that Jerusalem should play up that success as a deterrent.