‘Do what you must to halt a nuclear Iran,’ Senator Lindsey Graham tells Netanyahu

Many Republican senators, including Graham, have already been outspoke about their support for such a move.

By TOVAH LAZAROFF NOVEMBER 17, 2024 16:24

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) reacts on the day of the first presidential debate hosted by CNN in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., June 27, 2024. (photo credit: REUTERS/MARCO BELLO)

The United States has Israel’s back should it attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“It is imperative that the United States is seen and heard as having Israel’s back against the threat coming from Iran,” his office said after the Saturday night meeting in Jerusalem.

He spoke out in the aftermath of two rounds of Iranian missile attacks and Israel counterattacks, first in April and then in October. 

Israel is braced for its third round amid power shifts in Washington and Jerusalem. US President Joe Biden has discouraged any direct Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, while it's expected that President-elect Donald Trump would not retrain Israel in that way.

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaks to members of the press at Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump's South Carolina Republican presidential primary election night party in Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. February 24, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/ALYSSA POINTER)

Republican support for Israel

Many Republican senators, including Graham, have already been outspoke about their support for such a move. In October, Israel already hit Iranian missile production families, with Axios reporting last week that a nuclear weapons research facility in Parchin was also hit.

“Senator Graham believes that America has no better friend than Israel,” his office after the meeting,

“He has never been more worried about an Iranian nuclear breakout than right now. He conveyed the following to the Prime Minister: Do what you have to do to prevent the Iranian ayatollah from acquiring nuclear weapons capability. 

“In Senator Graham’s estimation, a nuclear-armed Iranian ayatollah is an existential threat to Israel and a nightmare for the world,” the Senator’s office stated.

“The Iranian ayatollah constantly refers to the United States as the “Great Satan.” It is in America’s interest to ensure the Iranian regime does not possess a nuclear weapon. This is a critical and dangerous moment for our friends in Israel and the world at large,” Graham’s office said.