An Iranian attack on Israel following President Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal could provoke an American counterattack, a Senate Republican ally of the administration hinted.
“Let me say in unmistakable language: It would be a grave miscalculation of historic magnitude by the ayatollahs if they choose to attack Israel,” Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said in a Tuesday statement.
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Cotton also hinted at U.S. strikes against Iran if the regime follows through on its threat to jumpstart its nuclear weapons program, in light of Trump’s decision to renew the sanctions that former President Barack Obama waived when the nuclear deal was implemented.
“Tough sanctions are a first step toward rolling back Iran’s campaign of terror, but it won’t be the last,” Cotton said. “If the ayatollahs rush toward the bomb, the United States must end the program once and for all.”
Cotton, a member of the Intelligence and Armed Services committees, issued that warning as Israeli forces went on alert and the U.S. embassy put out a travel warning for the border region between Israel and Syria. Iranian forces, deployed to the country in support of Syrian President Bashar Assad, have made “unusual movements” in recent hours, raising fears of a potential strike.
“Due to the recent tensions in the region, U.S. [government] employees are required to obtain advance approval if they wish to travel to the Golan Heights until further notice,” the State Department said in a Tuesday morning tweet. “Consider carefully travel to the Golan Heights until the situation stabilizes.”
