As the Trump administration works to convince allies that Iran was responsiblefor last week’s attack on two tankers near the Persian Gulf, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said Sunday that “this unprovoked attack on commercial shipping warrants retaliatory military strikes.”
“The fastest way to get the fire and fury of the U.S. military unleashed on you is to interfere with the freedom of navigation on the open seas and in the air,” Cotton told CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
“That’s exactly what Iran is doing in one of the world’s most important strategic chokepoints.”
On the same program, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. was “considering a full range of options” in response to recent events, adding that the administration was confident that it could “take a set of actions that can restore deterrence – which is our mission set.”
Asked whether that full range of options includes a military response, Pompeo replied, “Of course.”
Last Thursday morning two tankers about ten nautical miles apart caught fire after explosions in the Gulf of Oman, south of the Strait of Hormuz.
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