Lindsey Graham Puts CNN's Christine Amanpour in her Place | WATCH

At the Munich Security Conference 2026, CNN's Christiane Amanpour moderated a townhall titled "Breaking or Repeating the Cycle? Iran's Next Chapter," featuring exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, and Carnegie Endowment scholar Karim Sadjadpour.

During the panel, Amanpour turned to Graham with a direct question while Pahlavi was in the audience: "Do you put your support behind Reza Pahlavi? Are you ready to say he is the person that the United States, or yourself, I don't want to speak on behalf of the United States, but as a senior Senate Republican?"

Graham responded: "No."Amanpour reacted with visible surprise, but Graham immediately elaborated: "Because it's not my job.

He emphasized that the choice of Iran's future leader belongs to the Iranian people, stating: "The future of Iran will be decided by Iranians at the ballot box, not by foreign regimes and not by foreign media."

Many users praised Graham for avoiding what they called a "trap" designed to create a divisive soundbite, redirecting focus to Iranian self-determination. Amanpour was accused of bias, pointing to her phrasing of Pahlavi as the "Iranian pretender to the throne" and "son of the late Shah who was overthrown 47 years ago" in related social media posts. One X user called it "framing" to undermine Pahlavi's legitimacy.

Graham also criticized Gulf leaders for "emboldening Iran," saying the regime is at its weakest and urging U.S. action.

Pahlavi, in his segment, called for international support to dismantle the Islamic Republic's repression, aligning with Graham's view on empowering Iranians.

The panel comes amid escalating tensions, with Pahlavi advocating for regime change following recent protests in Iran.