Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, has called for a reversal of the Obama and Biden administrations’ policies towards Iran. In the wake of a recent drone strike in northeast Jordan that killed three American troops and injured many others, Cotton expressed the need to treat Iran as an “evil enemy that cannot be placated.”
Cotton criticized President Joe Biden’s approach as weak and cowardly, suggesting that deterrence requires a different strategy. He emphasized the importance of holding Iran’s most valuable assets and individuals at risk, rather than issuing warnings on television.
Iran has long employed a strategy of using proxy groups in the Middle East to target the United States, allowing them to deny direct involvement. Cotton argued that responding only to Iranian proxies validates this strategy.
Cotton pointed to the leadership of former President Donald Trump, who ordered the killing of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, and former President Ronald Reagan, who dealt significant blows to Iran’s navy. He attributed the current situation to 11 years of failed policy, including eight years under President Barack Obama and three under President Joe Biden.
Cotton called for a massive and devastating military retaliation against Iran’s terrorist forces both in the region and within Iran itself. He argued that only such a response would make it clear to Iran that killing an American is an absolute red line.
In his view, the United States must reverse the policy of appeasement and conciliation towards Iran, recognizing it as an unappeasable enemy that can only be defeated. Cotton suggested targeting a range of Iranian assets, including Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) camps, ships, bases, and even refineries, which play a crucial role in Iran’s economy and are controlled in part by the IRGC.
In summary, Senator Tom Cotton called for a fundamental shift in U.S. policy towards Iran, emphasizing a more assertive and deterrent approach to address the ongoing security challenges in the Middle East.
