Tom Cotton backs Trump’s strikes on Iran, calls leaders terrorists as crypto markets bleed $80 billion

Senator Tom Cotton wants the bombs to keep falling. The Arkansas Republican and chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee threw his full weight behind President Trump’s military strikes on Iran, calling the country’s leadership terrorists and demanding sustained airstrikes paired with an enforcement blockade. The crypto market’s response has been about as cheerful as you’d expect. Roughly $80 billion in total market capitalization evaporated by mid-July 2026, with Bitcoin and Ethereum absorbing the heaviest blows as traders sprinted toward the exits. What happened and why it matters US forces struck over 80 Iranian military targets around July 7, 2026, retaliating against Iranian missile and drone attacks on commercial shipping operations. Two days later, on July 9, Cotton appeared publicly to argue that the campaign shouldn’t stop there. His position: Iran’s leaders have never engaged in serious negotiations, so the only language they understand is force. He called for a sustained bombing campaign and a naval blockade to degrade Iran’s military capabilities further. This isn’t a new stance for Cotton. He’s been the Senate’s most prominent Iran hawk for years, advocating for milit...