Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) proposed “massive retaliation” against Iran and implored President Biden to take strong action in response to the series of attacks on U.S. assets in the region.
Cotton criticized the president for taking a measured response to Iran, which has not directly attacked the United States but has acted through its proxies since war broke out in Israel.
“We’ve only fought back a few times. When we fight back, it’s almost always against empty warehouses or perhaps against proxy forces in Iraq and Syria,” Cotton told “Fox News Sunday.”
“It seems that the president wants to do everything possible to avoid Iranian casualties,” he added. “I would focus on the Iranians operating in Iraq and Syria. “It would also send a clear message to Iran: if these attacks do not stop immediately, then we will begin to threaten their assets.”
According to the Department of Defense, there have been at least 66 attacks against US forces since October 17.
Tom Cotton suggested President Biden has been soft on Iran.FOX
Cotton, 46, an Army veteran who serves on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, has long been a hawk on Iran.
He posited that Biden’s lukewarmness against Tehran is due to “fear of escalation,” but responded that “mastery of escalation” would deter aggression.
When asked about the risk of a kinetic response triggering a “World War III-like” reaction, Cotton downplayed the possibility.
“What Reagan did when he sank half of Iran’s navy did not lead to an open, open war,” he said. “After Donald Trump led [the] assassination of Qasem Soleimani in Iraq, Iran’s terrorist mastermind, Iran held firm for the rest of the Trump era.”
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps personnel seen on November 24, 2023.ZUMAPRESS.com
“The way to stop these attacks is not to respond with fear, hesitation and caution, but to retaliate massively to make clear that we will not tolerate these attacks on Americans.”
Iran, a Shiite-majority nation, has vehemently opposed Israel’s war against Hamas, a Sunni Islamic terrorist group that Tehran backs.
The Biden administration has come under scrutiny from Republicans, particularly over the suspension of its Iran envoy, Robert Malley, who is the subject of an investigation whose details are murky.
The Arkansas senator is a leading foreign policy voice among Republicans.AP
Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.), who appeared on the show after Cotton, defended the president’s policy toward the Tehran regime.
“They have implemented almost 50 new sets of sanctions that have helped cause almost 50% inflation in the Iranian economy. “Iran is desperate right now,” Auchincloss argued.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn