Sen. Tom Cotton continued his attack on the Iran nuclear framework on Friday, calling for the "credible threat of military force" and tougher sanctions to force Tehran into a stronger agreement.
"We need to be serious about the credible threat of military force," the Arkansas Republican told Jake Tapper on CNN. "That has to be a credible threat that's still on the table. Otherwise, our diplomacy will not be effective.
"Like all Americans, I want to see a negotiated settlement, but I want to see a negotiated settlement that stops Iran from getting a nuclear weapon — not just today and tomorrow or during this administration, but 10 and 15 years from now," Cotton said.
The Obama administration said Thursday that the United States and other world powers had reached an outline governing talks with Iran to curb its nuclear arsenal. The plan came after eight days of marathon talks and is incumbent on a final deal being reached by June 30.
President Barack Obama hailed
the accord as "a good deal, a deal that meets our core objectives" — but Cotton and other Republicans broadly slammed it and demanded a congressional review.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will vote later this month on a resolution to require congressional review of any deal reached by June 30.
Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that any final deal must include a commitment from Tehran recognizing Israel's right to exist.
"Israel will not accept an agreement which allows a country that vows to annihilate us to develop nuclear weapons, period," he said.
In calling for military action, Cotton noted assurances given earlier this month by United Nations Ambassador
Samantha Power that military options would be considered if no agreement of any kind had been reached with Tehran.
"We cannot treat them as a normal nation," said Cotton, who recently spearheaded a letter to Iranian leaders saying that any deal could be scuttled once Obama leaves office. "We certainly cannot allow them to be a nuclear threshold state."
He slammed Obama for lifting some restrictions to get Iran to the bargaining table.
"We shouldn't have relaxed the sanctions. We should have increased them, as the House tried to do 18 months ago, so we could negotiate from strength."
Cotton also dismissed Obama's warnings Thursday that the only alternative was war with Tehran.
"I would say that we are trying to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon," he said.
"These terms are not improving anything," he later added. "They are only cementing the status quo or making it even worse — and therefore more dangerous."