The chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee stated Sunday that the United States will have to “be ready for Iran to retaliate” following Saturday evening’s moves concentrated on 3 Iranian nuclear amenities.
“We’ve got troops within the area. Iran has focused American citizens world wide, Marine barracks in Beirut, in barracks in Saudi Arabia. They have got focused embassies of nations world wide,” Cotton, R-Arkansas, stated in an unique interview on ABC Information’ “This Week.” “The threats are critical and we take them significantly. President Trump has no upper precedence, as do I and the protection of the American folks.”
Cotton echoed President Donald Trump’s caution to Iran to go for peace as an alternative, announcing that if Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “goals American citizens with army power, he’s going to see, will make final evening seem like kid’s play.”
Trump described Saturday evening’s moves towards Iran as “a impressive army luck” that had “utterly and utterly obliterated” Iran’s key nuclear enrichment amenities.
Sen. Tom Cotton speaks with ABC Information whilst showing on This Week, June 22, 2025.
ABC Information
In his interview with “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl, Cotton stated the overall injury review used to be nonetheless underway, mentioning feedback from Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine previous Sunday. However, he added, “There is not any doubt that as a result of the president’s decisive motion, we’ve critically broken Iran’s crucial nuclear infrastructure.”
“The excellent chief and the ayatollahs in Iran wish to remember the fact that President Trump method industry. They have got a possibility to sue for peace right here, to dismantle no matter remnants in their nuclear program stay, and to proceed to in reality live on, as a result of we have not focused the excellent chief, we have not focused their power infrastructure, we have not focused different crucial infrastructure,” Cotton stated. “That is an implicit message that Iran nonetheless has issues that they grasp expensive, that neither the — neither the USA nor Israel has struck. Iran must heed President Trump’s caution.”
“And if Iran retaliates, will have to the USA goal the excellent chief?” Karl requested.
“I would possibly not rule any unmarried goal in or out,” Cotton stated. “He [Trump] used to be no longer bluffing. He does no longer bluff. And there are nonetheless a lot of goals that Iran holds very expensive. … My message to the Ideal Chief is take a look at the teachings of historical past. Don’t — don’t tempt destiny. Don’t goal American citizens. Heed Donald Trump’s caution.”
Karl pressed additional on whether or not regime alternate in Iran is the objective.
“That is not President Trump’s army function,” Cotton stated. “We don’t seem to be pursuing regime alternate. We are not looking to put any troops at the floor into Iran. We’re looking to get rid of their nuclear guns program, and by way of destroying 3 crucial nuclear amenities, we have taken large steps in that path.”
However again in 2017, the Arkansas senator advised POLITICO, “The coverage of the USA will have to be regime alternate in Iran. … I don’t see how someone can say The united states can also be secure so long as you may have in energy a theocratic despotism.”
“Has your view modified?” Karl requested.
“Smartly, so long as Iran’s leaders proceed to terrorize American citizens after those moves, then no, The united states would possibly not be secure from the Iran danger. That is the level that President Trump made final evening,” Cotton stated. “We are not going to invade Iran. We are not going to check out to topple their executive or attempt to change it with a brand new executive. As [Israeli] High Minister Netanyahu has stated, the Iranian leaders are so hated by way of their very own folks, have so did not ship certain effects for their very own folks, that that could be the top of this. However that is not the American coverage.”
