The United States’ conflict with Iran continues, with gas and diesel prices a continual and rising reminder. 

What do Arkansas’ three candidates for U.S. Senate think should be done?

Sen. Tom Cotton has long taken an aggressive stance regarding Iran. He opposed President Obama’s nuclear deal in 2015 that placed inspectors in that country. Cotton argued that it would allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons and help it fund terrorism. He then advocated for military action in 2019 after Iran attacked two oil tankers. He supported President Trump’s strikes last year against Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities.

The day this year’s war started on Feb. 28, he told CBS News that President Trump had successfully laid out the mission’s objectives. Those were: thwart Iran’s nuclear ambitions; destroy its missile arsenal; and dismantle Iran’s terrorist network. 

As Senate Intelligence Committee chairman, Cotton has access to highly classified information. 

Given his position, I asked him Sept. 1 when he visited Henderson State University in Arkadelphia what hope he could provide that the conflict would work out OK.

“Well, the economic vise that we’ve put around Iran is real, and it’s getting tighter every single day,” he said. “And you’re starting to see what I have seen for months, which is internal dissension inside of Iran. They’re all hardliners, but Iran’s leaders are responsible for managing the economy, and [they] have to be mindful of popular discontent with the state of the economy versus the military leaders. And you’re seeing that first group of Iranian leaders starting to voice their concerns that Iran can’t withstand this economic pressure in the long term.”

Cotton said the United States can blockade Iran longer than Iran can harass shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. That’s the international waterway alongside Iran through which one-fifth of the world’s oil once traveled. He said the United States must maintain its economic vise on Iran while keeping the Strait open. 

Cotton said the U.S. defense industry cannot enforce the blockade indefinitely, which is why he supports increasing spending. He noted that part of that money funds the defense factories in south Arkansas, the Pine Bluff Arsenal, and Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith, where foreign pilots are trained on F-35 stealth fighters. Cotton said he “led the charge” in bringing that mission to Ebbing.

Cotton’s opponents in this year’s election do not agree with his stance. 

Asked for her views during a phone interview Sept. 10, Democrat Hallie Shoffner said, “It’s time to negotiate a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.”

Shoffner said the American people were told that last year’s bombing of Iran had eliminated its nuclear program. Then the United States attacked again this year at a high cost, with explanations lacking as to why the attacks were happening. She noted that fuel prices had risen as a result. 

“I am very much looking forward to going to D.C. and being a part of working across the aisle to build a Congress with a backbone again,” she said. “That means that Congress has the power to declare war. That means Congress holds the power of the purse. I believe that Congress has the responsibility to stand up and say, ‘This has to stop.’”

Libertarian candidate Jeff Wadlin also noted in a phone interview Sept. 14 that the Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war. He said it should either approve or disapprove of the war and not give the executive branch a “blank check.”

He said the United States needs a “straightforward deal” where it would end its blockade and all offensive strikes if Iran would stop attacking U.S. forces and commercial shipping. Sanctions and embargoes should continue as the United States negotiates with Iran to get it to agree to nuclear inspections. If Iran started enriching uranium again, he could support targeted strikes against nuclear facilities. 

“Obviously, I’m very much against bombing any civilian infrastructure,” he said. “I don’t think that’s been particularly effective. We say we sunk their navy and destroyed all their weapons and stuff, but they’re still attacking our bases and ships in the Strait. … That’s kind of an unwinnable approach.”

The winner of the U.S. Senate race cannot by themselves determine what happens in Iran. But he or she will have a vote, and a voice.

And so do you on Election Day Nov. 3. What do you think should be done about Iran?

© 2026 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Steve Brawner’s column is syndicated to 24 news outlets in Arkansas. Email him at brawnersteve@mac.com.