Tom Cotton

HOT SPRINGS -- U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton said Wednesday the United States should resume sustained military action against Iran, further weaken its armed forces and use military power to keep the Strait of Hormuz open.

Cotton, R-Ark., made the comments during a question-and-answer session after speaking at the Arkansas Municipal Police Association's annual conference at Hotel Hot Springs.

Asked about the conflict, Cotton said he awoke to President Donald Trump's comments at the NATO summit in Turkey indicating that a ceasefire with Iran had ended.

The Associated Press reported Wednesday that Trump said the United States would likely launch additional strikes against Iran that night. He later expressed doubts about pursuing a deal with Iran but said he did not expect the war to resume. Earlier, Trump declared the ceasefire over and dismissed further negotiations after the two countries exchanged strikes.

Cotton credited Trump with leaving Iran weaker than at any point since the country's 1979 revolution. He cited the 2020 U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani, attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities and more recent strikes on the country's military.

"It goes back six years of action," Cotton said. "In 2020, the president authorized the strike that killed their terrorist mastermind. He was a singular leader in Iran. They really haven't recovered from that yet. ... Whatever you think of this temporary ceasefire that we have, Iran has never been weaker today than it has been for the last 47 years. And all credit to President Trump that he had the nerve to do what past presidents have talked a big game about but never did."

Cotton said he would have preferred the United States to continue its military campaign earlier this year.

"Now, I wish we had just finished the job in April, and by finishing the job, I mean, probably another two or three weeks of targeting their military and then forcibly opening the strait while keeping that blockade in place," he said. "That would be my course of action. But Iran's military is severely weakened."

He said the United States could strike additional targets to further weaken Iran and reopen the strait. The strait, which connects the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea via the Gulf of Oman, is a vital route for global oil shipments.

Cotton said the United States has the military capability to keep the waterway open despite its proximity to Iran. Keeping oil moving through the strait and expanding the use of pipelines elsewhere in the region, he noted, could help prevent sharp increases in gasoline and diesel prices.

He said the military action should be paired with a continued blockade, which he said had been costing Iran about $500 million a day.

"My solution would be to finish the job on Iran's military, take action, keep the strait open to make sure that Arkansans aren't paying more for their gas or diesel, and then keep the blockade in place," he said. "Because the blockade was inflicting terrible damage on Iran, half a billion dollars a day that they can't afford to lose."

Cotton said, citing Trump's overnight remarks, that the administration was moving toward renewed military action after what Cotton described as Iran's violation of the ceasefire.