A nuclear Iran is Sen. Tom Cotton’s main concern.
In an opinion piece for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Thursday, the Arkansas Republican held strong on his stance of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, saying “a nuclear Iran presents too great of a threat to accept.”
Cotton also defended the letter he and 46 other Republican senators sent Iranian leaders, warning them that a nuclear deal has to be accepted by Congress to be accepted globally.
“Our goal is simple: to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. They needed to get this message loud and clear; they are not hearing it from the negotiators in Geneva,” Cotton wrote.
His argument was highlighted in part by his time in the Army, in which he was an officer in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Iran is also responsible for the killing and maiming of thousands of American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Cotton wrote. “During my tour in Baghdad, Iran supplied the most advanced, most lethal roadside bombs being used against coalition forces. My soldiers and I knew that Iranian-supplied bombs were the one thing our armored vehicles couldn’t withstand. All we could do was hope it wasn’t our day to hit one.
“My platoon was lucky; too many others were not.”
Despite Iran’s aforementioned behavior, Obama “forged ahead with negotiations anyway,” according to Cotton.
“What’s worse, President Obama plans to bypass Congress in these negotiations with Iran. The critical role of Congress in approving international agreements was clearly laid out by our founders in the Constitution to ensure that no president, whoever he or she may be, can commit America unilaterally to such binding agreements,” Cotton wrote, adding, “And it’s a principle upon which Democrats and Republicans had largely agreed until President Obama was elected.”
Cotton, a 37-year-old freshman, has made waves with his foreign policy stances since being elected to the Senate last fall.
Last month, Cotton said he’d like to see Guantanamo Bay detainees “rot in hell.” This week, he introduced legislation to punish any U.S. allies receiving federal money who help prisoners released from Guantanamo Bay who eventually return to the fight.
However, leading the open letter to Iranian leaders has made the biggest splash, as he continues to defend his stance toward a nuclear Iran.
