Jun 23, 2025 - Politics

Arkansas politicos back Trump's decision for Iranian airstrikes

Worth Sparkman

Side-by-side photos of Sen. Tom Cotton speaking and Rep. Rick Crawford listening during separate congressional hearings. — Sen. Tom Cotton speaking and Rep. Rick Crawford listening during separate congressional hearings. Cotton Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP Photo/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Crawford photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Arkansas' Republican delegation largely praised President Trump's decision to conduct airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend.

"I join the president in his warning to the supreme leader of Iran that if he targets Americans, the military force you will see will make last night look like child's play," Sen. Tom Cotton, chair of the Senate Committee on Intelligence, told ABC News on Sunday.

The latest: A ceasefire between Iran and Israel was in place Monday night, announced by Trump and capping an end to the 12-day war between the two nations.

Why it matters: Trump's decision to intervene directly in support of Israel's effort to dismantle Iran's nuclear program marks a historic escalation in the Middle East, and it's the most direct U.S. military action against Iran since the Islamic Republic was founded in 1979, Axios' Barak Ravid reports.

State of play: The state's politicians have a voice on the matter in Washington, D.C. Two Republican Arkansans chair the congressional intelligence committees, a third also serves on the House committee, and former Republican Gov. Mike Huckabee — father of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders — is the U.S. ambassador to Israel, which started the raids on Iran earlier this month.

What they're saying: "I regret that Iran has brought the world to this point," Rep. Rick Crawford of Jonesboro said in a Saturday post. Crawford chairs the House Committee on Intelligence.

"That said, I am thankful President Trump understood that the red line — articulated by Presidents of both parties for decades — was real."
"We'll just continue to posture in a way that is diligent in making sure we are protecting the interests of the United States around the world and at home," Crawford told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Sunday.

"I support the President's decisive action to thwart Iran from completing a nuclear weapon," Rep. Steve Womack of Rogers said in a Saturday post on X, adding that it "makes America and our allies safer."

The Huckabee Post on Substack said Iran made a mistake when it didn't take Trump seriously.

Ambassador Huckabee began the social media channel, but he's no longer noted as the sole author.

Of note: Axios reached out to several of the elected officials on Monday, but they did not update their statements or provide additional commentary on Iran's retaliations.

Follow Axios' ongoing coverage of the conflict.

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Arkansas politicos back Trump's decision for Iranian airstrikes

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