Lindsey Graham Urges More US Military Strikes on Iran

Sen. Lindsey Graham says the U.S. needs to hit Iran harder—and he's willing to risk his Senate seat over it. On NBC's Meet the Press Sunday, the South Carolina Republican argued the current standoff in the Strait of Hormuz is "hurting us all," citing the shutdown of the vital oil route and the stalled US-Iran negotiation effort as leading to nothing but Iran getting "stronger"—and sharply higher gas prices at home. Average unleaded prices are up about 51% since Washington launched military operations against Iran more than two months ago, but Graham insisted that "gas prices will come down when you put Iran in a box."

Calling President Trump's military moves in the conflict "amazing" but insufficient, Graham urged the administration to "weaken [Iran] further," saying there are "more targets to be had." Politico reports that he appeared to support strikes on Iran's energy infrastructure, which he described as "their soft underbelly." He said Iran's leaders appear unchanged in what he sees as their intent "to terrorize the world, destroy Israel, come after us" and pursue a nuclear weapon. His comments came as Iran's foreign minister declared Tehran has "no trust" in US negotiators, and as Trump told Fox News he won't let election concerns or Americans' short-term finances dictate his Iran strategy, despite Republican worries about the looming midterm elections.

Graham was asked to address those comments on Meet the Press, the Independent reports. He agreed with the president, saying, "I don't think about anybody. I think about one thing: we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon, that's all." But then he went further, saying this was Trump's "Churchill moment." "When Churchill came into power, he promised blood, sweat, toll, heartache until we deal with the Nazis, who are an existential threat to the British way of life. And if Hitler had taken charge of the planet, it would have been the darkest hour in humanity," he said. "What did Churchill say? Whatever price we have to pay to beat Hitler, we will pay. Same with Iran." Graham added that it's even "worth losing my job" if that's what it takes to derail Iran's nuclear plans.