Special to WorldTribune.com

In an interview, Sen. Tom Cotton said that if Iran were allowed to become a nuclear state under its current regime, then the likely outcome would be nuclear war.

“The proposal puts Iran on the path to being a nuclear-arms state, and I think once Iran becomes a nuclear-arms state, this will lead inevitably to some kind of military confrontation,” Cotton said. “It may not be initially with the United States, but I think that’s virtually inevitable … I think if we choose to go down the path of this deal, it is likely that we could be facing nuclear war.”

Cotton who gained notoriety for organizing a letter to the Iranian leadership from members of the U.S. Congress, dismissed charges he was undermining a sitting president’s policies.

“The letter simply stated indisputable facts of constitutional law, and Iran’s leaders needed to hear that message, and they needed to hear it from us.”

Speaking in an interview with Atlantic journalist Jeffrey Goldberg, Sen. Tom Cotton said that surgical strikes targeting nuclear facilities in Iran by whatever state might result in counterstrikes against Israel but that he had been assured the threat was manageable.

“I’ve consulted with various senior members of the Israeli government over the years, and they’re aware of the possibility that Iran might use Hizbullah, in particular, to retaliate in an asymmetric way for any military strikes, either American or Israeli, and the assessment I’ve heard from them is that while that is a risk, it is a risk they can manage.”

  Sen. Cotton: Surgical strikes could be conducted in Iran without leading to war, WorldTribune.com