Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has called for the United States to change its policy toward Iran because the Middle Eastern country is not “afraid of us.”
Graham’s suggestion for such a change would be hitting Iran in areas the country’s leadership values, such as its place in the oil industry. The senator argued U.S. troops in the Middle East are “in harm’s way” after three U.S. service members were killed in a drone attack launched by an Iranian-backed militia last month.
“If you’ve convinced Iran we don’t want a wider war, they believe you,” Graham said on Fox News Sunday. “‘Oh, I don’t want a war with you!’ They got the message. … They’re not afraid of us. They were afraid of Trump. They’re not afraid of us.”
Graham cited several foreign conflicts that have occurred over the past few years, including the Afghanistan withdrawal in 2021, Russia attacking Ukraine in 2022, and the terrorist group Hamas attacking Israel in 2023. Graham claimed that these recent incidents show that policy on Iran is “not working.”
“We gave them a week’s notice, so if there are another round of strikes coming, I hope they really will hurt Iran in their pocketbook or kill their leadership, ’cause if you don’t, nothing changes,” Graham said.
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Graham’s statement comes after the U.S. and United Kingdom’s combined forces hit 36 Iran-backed Houthi rebel targets across 13 locations in Yemen on Saturday. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin claimed the strikes were intended to degrade the Houthis’ capabilities to carry out attacks against commercial vessels in the frequently navigated waterways off Yemen’s coast.
On Sunday, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the U.S. intends “to take additional strikes” on Iran-backed targets.
