'Would Turn Fistfights Into Bombing Raids': How Lindsey Graham Pushed Trump Toward Iran War

Last Updated:July 12, 2026, 17:19 IST

Tennessee Republican Burchett offered the most vivid description of Graham’s worldview: “Lindsey hasn’t seen a fist fight he hasn’t wanted to turn into a bombing raid.”

Around three weeks ago, in an interview with CBS anchor Margaret Brennan, the late US Senator Lindsey Graham said President Donald Trump would obliterate Iran if it contested control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Graham said at the time that diplomacy remained an option, but maintained that the US should control the strategic waterway. “We will obliterate them. So, to all the people listening, if this diplomatic effort fails, President Trump is going to take the Strait of Hormuz," the South Carolina Republican said, just a week after Trump and Vice President JD Vance announced that talks in Switzerland’s Lucerne had led to a framework for a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and what later unravelled into a fragile peace.

Graham said he arrived at that conclusion after speaking to Trump for four hours on June 19.

That was hardly an isolated instance. Throughout the Gaza war and the subsequent confrontation with Iran, Graham remained one of Washington’s most vocal Iran hawks. He even suggested that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should do with Gaza what the US did with Japan during the Second World War.

The Push For Military Action Against Iran

A staunch ally of Israel, Graham wanted Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Gulf states to join the Abraham Accords as part of the US-Iran negotiations aimed at ending the conflict in the region. The senator, who did not trust Pakistan, hailed the prospect as “simply brilliant", saying it would bring about “the most significant change in the Middle East in thousands of years."

Graham was also a critic of the framework MoU, which eventually fell apart amid continuing strikes. He warned Trump against accepting what he considered a premature deal with the Iranian regime, arguing it could shift the balance of power in Tehran’s favour and become a “nightmare for Israel" over time.

The longtime proponent of US military intervention abroad was once one of Trump’s fiercest Republican critics and even ran against him in the presidential primaries, only to later become one of his closest political allies.

He had long advocated military action against Iran and, ten days into the war, said it was time for a “new Middle East", arguing that the collapse of the Iranian regime would also bring enormous economic opportunities.

“When this regime goes down, we are going to have a new Middle East, and we are going to make a tonne of money," Graham told Fox News in March.

A key factor shaping Graham’s thinking was what he described as “a different Donald Trump" after the real estate mogul returned to the White House by defeating Kamala Harris.

Inside Graham’s Backchannel With Netanyahu

“Second-term Trump has different instincts than first-term Trump," Graham told The Wall Street Journal shortly after the war began. He also reminded Trump that previous Republican presidents “wouldn’t have greenlighted the Iran operation either", the newspaper reported.

The Wall Street Journal also reported that Graham travelled to Israel several times in the weeks leading up to the February 28 strikes that triggered the latest phase of the US-Israel confrontation with Iran, meeting members of the country’s intelligence agencies.

“They’ll tell me things our own government won’t tell me," Graham had said, underscoring his confidence in Israeli intelligence.

The newspaper further reported that Graham spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, coaching him on how to lobby Trump for military action.

“Netanyahu showed the president intelligence that persuaded Trump to go ahead," Graham was quoted as saying. Netanyahu, however, would later face criticism from some quarters for allegedly overselling the case for military action, drawing sharp remarks from Vice President JD Vance.

Fellow Republican Senator Rand Paul once remarked that Graham should fall under lobbying disclosure laws given how frequently he visited the White House or played golf with Trump. Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, Paul described Graham’s attempts to steer the MAGA movement towards regime change as “the quintessential political maneuvering beyond all political maneuvering".

Tennessee Republican Representative Tim Burchett perhaps offered the most vivid description of Graham’s worldview: “Lindsey hasn’t seen a fist fight he hasn’t wanted to turn into a bombing raid."

About the Author

Shankhyaneel Sarkar

Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has c...Read More

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