Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) reiterated his call for a congressional review of the newly brokered two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran.
While in favor of the Trump administration’s peacemaking efforts, Graham is skeptical about the tentative deal that was made on Tuesday.
“The supposed negotiating document, in my view, has some troubling aspects, but time will tell,” the longtime GOP senator posted on X Wednesday morning. “I look forward to the architects of this proposal, the Vice President and others, coming forward to Congress and explaining how a negotiated deal meets our national security objectives in Iran.”
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The congressional review process would look similar to the one that came in response to the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal under the Obama administration.
“Fair and challenging questions with a full opportunity to explain, and a healthy dose of sunlight is generally the right formula to understand any matter,” Graham wrote in a separate post Tuesday night about his desire for a congressional review of the peace deal.
Congress is currently on its two-week spring recess, which ends with federal lawmakers returning to session on April 14.
The ceasefire not only brings a pause in the fighting that started over five weeks ago, but it also helps reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial vessels. The agreement is tenuous, so it remains to be seen if Iran keeps the narrow strait open for long.
The Iranian Navy is reportedly blocking the waterway in retaliation for continued Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to the IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency.
Another part of the ceasefire has to do with uranium enrichment, which Iran claims it is still pursuing while President Donald Trump says Tehran can no longer have the means to develop nuclear weapons.
In a Truth Social post issued Wednesday morning, Trump said the Islamic regime will voluntarily hand over its enriched uranium that was buried under the destruction caused by the U.S. bombing operation last June. If Iran refuses to cooperate, War Secretary Pete Hegseth warns a military attack akin to Operation Midnight Hammer may be in order.
Iran is believed to possess over 970 pounds of uranium enriched up to 60% purity, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. That is a short, technical step away from 90% purity, the percentage at which uranium is classified as weapons-grade.
Graham backs Trump’s demand for Iran to relinquish its radioactive material in a similar fashion to the “Libyan Model.” In 2003 and 2004, Libya agreed to surrender its nuclear weapons to the U.S. and allies. The denuclearization model demonstrated by the African nation was often cited as a possible solution to the North Korean nuclear talks during Trump’s first term.
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The South Carolina Republican is now putting forth the Libyan Model as a viable strategy in pressuring Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions in favor of peace.
“Many countries have peaceful nuclear power but do not enrich uranium. At a minimum, that should be the case for Iran,” Graham said. In the same post, he later added, “I’m interested in a deal that will stop their maniacal drive to a nuclear weapon among other things.”
