U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham is now supporting the emerging agreement with Iran, reversing his previous skepticism, according to a report circulating in Israeli media. The shift follows what the messages describe as a 'deep conversation' with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and came after President Trump threatened that anyone not on board would be fired.
On Wednesday at 19:21 Jerusalem, Senator Lindsey Graham was reported by Channel 12 to have fully reversed his stance, now supporting the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with Iran after a call with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. In that report, Graham cited the potential for economic stability from opening the Strait of Hormuz and ending hostilities. The shift follows a trajectory that began Sunday June 14, 22:30 Jerusalem, when The Zioneer first reported Graham's public opposition to Trump's Iran policy direction. By Tuesday June 16, 19:21 Jerusalem, the first three thread items show Graham sequentially expressing optimism, then openness citing the Strait of Hormuz, and finally full support after the Witkoff call — all on the same timestamp, suggesting a rapid evolution that afternoon.
The emergence of Trump's threat — that anyone not on board would be fired — was reported earlier in Israeli media, as The Zioneer noted at 15:45 Jerusalem on Tuesday June 16, when Trump warned Graham would be in 'big trouble.' That threat appears to have been the catalyst. The drafter's new dispatch adds the detail that Trump's warning included a threat to fire dissenters, a sharper escalation than previously reported. However, this latest element has not yet been corroborated by on-record U.S. sources and remains attributed to a curated Israeli channel.
As The Zioneer has reported over the past week, the Iran deal push has been accompanied by internal U.S. administration tensions: on Tuesday June 16, 13:55 Jerusalem, U.S. sources told Israel Hayom that Trump was considering dismissing senior officials who opposed the deal, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, while sparing Rubio. The president himself, on Monday June 15, 00:30 Jerusalem, claimed Israeli backing from Netanyahu, as Jerusalem remained silent.
What remains unverified is the precise content of the agreement itself — its terms, timeline, and Tehran's formal position — as well as whether Trump's reported threat to fire Graham was delivered directly or through intermediaries. The IRGC has denied any agreement exists, and no U.S. official has confirmed Graham's reversal was coerced.
5 developments
- ConfirmedIran's Tasnim adds details on US-Iran MOU: last-minute changes, Hormuz opening delayed
- DevelopingSenator Graham: Stop restraining Israel, US should use military force if Iran does not sign deal immediately
- ConfirmedU.S. and Iran reportedly near agreement on nuclear freeze, sanctions relief, and Strait of Hormuz reopening
- StrongIranian source: Strait of Hormuz reopening to begin Friday after MoU signing
Source and signal
- Internal intake