Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) suggested Tuesday that a “massive retaliation” campaign should be launched against Iran if the regime continues to attack or otherwise antagonize U.S. assets or personnel in the Middle East.
In an interview with Fox News, Cotton said that Iran has shown “they don’t fear consequences”, and that the U.S. should be willing to use “overwhelming force” in response to any provocations.
“Everytime Iran has escalated, we’ve escalated right back, and we haven’t massed our forces together to truly, you know, send a message that if Iran continues this kind of behavior, there will be massive retaliation against its military and its economic infrastructure,” Cotton said.
The Arkansas senator noted that while the current situation calls for “firmness, strength, and resolve” from the United States, a massive retaliation against Iran could have unintended consequences.
“If we decide to do something like that, it’s important that we have a broader strategy, that we consult our allies, and that we explain to the American people and to the world what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and the objectives we’re trying to achieve,” Cotton said.
He went on to clarify that the retaliation should come in the form of economic and military measures, not necessarily war.
