U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said the United States should stop restraining Israel, and should itself use military force if Iran does not immediately sign a deal. Speaking on the situation with Iran, Graham argued that opening the Strait of Hormuz by force would remove all of Iran's leverage, and that continued economic pressure under Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent would further break the Iranians.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham issued a stark new ultimatum regarding U.S. policy toward Iran, calling on the Trump administration to stop restraining Israel and to consider military force if Tehran does not immediately agree to a deal. Graham, a close ally of the president and a leading voice on foreign policy, said on Saturday morning that a military opening of the Strait of Hormuz would strip Iran of all its leverage, and that continued economic sanctions under Treasury Secretary Bessent would break the Iranians further.
The remarks follow a previous statement by Graham this week, as The Zioneer reported at 06:43 Jerusalem, in which he urged Israel to "go all in" if Iran's behavior did not change overnight. The new comments escalate that message by calling explicitly for U.S. military action and an end to restraint on Israel, suggesting growing impatience in parts of the Republican establishment with the pace of negotiations. The senator's remarks come amid a series of threats from Iranian officials, including Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf's warning that U.S. and Israeli assets in the region are no longer immune, and an assessment by a senior American official that the U.S. may be heading toward "violent assaults on Iran's infrastructure."
Graham did not specify what a U.S. military operation would entail beyond mentioning the Strait of Hormuz, nor did he offer a timeline for a diplomatic breakthrough. The comments are the latest in a rapidly escalating debate in Washington over the use of force against Iran.
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