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Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, explained on Sunday what comes next in the Iran offensive after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
Appearing on CNN\u2019s \u201cState of the Union\u201d with host Dana Bash, Cotton first noted that Iran has crossed numerous red lines over the decades.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe red lines have been crossed \u2026 red lines of the civilized world, going back to the 1979 hostage crisis, the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, the bombing of the Khobar Towers, killing and maiming thousands of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan \u2014 those are the red lines that have been crossed,\u201d Cotton said. \u201cPresident Trump has finally put his foot down and made it clear that we will no longer tolerate the revolutionary violence of the Islamic Republic of Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bash pressed the senator on what comes next: \u201cBut the question is the people below them, and whether or not you are confident, based on what you\u2019re seeing, that enough of the Iranian regime was taken out that there really can be a change in leadership. And then the next question is, how does that work?\u201d<\/p>\n
Cotton explained that the first priority is destroying Iran\u2019s military power, which the Islamic nation uses to attack Israel and Arab allies in the region. He added that just as Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon, it cannot be allowed to have thousands of missiles in its arsenal either, \u201cmuch more than the United States and Israel have in missile defense combined.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo what the American people see in the days ahead is going to be a methodical and systematic focus on Iran\u2019s missiles, its missile launchers, and ultimately, its missile manufacturing capability, so they can\u2019t continue to threaten our troops in Israel and our other friends in the region,\u201d Cotton stated.<\/p>\n
The senator concluded that while we don\u2019t know exactly what the future holds for the Iranian regime, the people of Iran now have the opportunity to take their country back after decades of brutal oppression.<\/p>\n
\nIntelligence Committee Chairman, Sen. Tom Cotton (R) tells Dana Bash Iran has crossed red lines: \u201cThere\u2019s no doubt, though, that Iran is going to continue to target our bases in the region, our Arab friends, and Israel. That\u2019s why it was so vitally necessary that we put an end to\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/mE4TxM2S40<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) March 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n