Lindsey Graham Falls in Line With Trump: “The Memorandum of Understanding Looks Very Promising”

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, one of Israel’s leading supporters in the U.S. Congress, addressed the talks surrounding a possible agreement with Iran overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday, expressing full confidence in U.S. President Donald Trump. At the same time, Graham made clear that his main skepticism is not directed at the White House, but at the regime in Tehran.

“I am confident that President Trump will not sign a bad deal,” Graham told the media. According to him, “the memorandum of understanding, as described by the vice president and the administration, looks very promising.”

Graham emphasized that, from his perspective, a diplomatic solution is a desirable goal, but he set a clear condition regarding Iran’s nuclear program. “I would like to see a diplomatic solution to Iran’s nuclear ambitions. My skepticism is toward Iran itself. What would a good deal look like? No enrichment,” he said.

Referring to the cessation of fighting and the attempt to stabilize the region, the senator said: “We are opening the strait and ending hostilities, and that in itself is an achievement. But whether we will be able to reach the second stage, I do not know.” According to him, “You can trust the president. As for the Iranians, I do not know. Given 47 years of deception, I would say no.”

Graham added that, in his view, Trump has already recorded significant achievements against Iran.

“President Trump has done more to deal with Iran than anyone else since I have been in the arena,” he said. “They are in their weakest military position. Their economy is shattered.”

The senator connected Iran’s weakening to the possibility of a broader regional breakthrough.

“My goal is to put Iran in a box so that we can achieve regional peace,” he said. “Saudi Arabia will join the Abraham Accords, and that will happen only when Iran is weak.”

Graham later addressed the need for congressional approval of any possible nuclear agreement. “When it comes to the nuclear program, yes, that is the law, Congress must approve it. And he said he would send it to us. So yes,” he said.

Graham sharply attacked Iran’s leadership and the ideology of the regime. “I do not think you can be a leader in Iran if you do not believe in the movement created by the Ayatollah in 1979, whose goal is to purify Islam, destroy the State of Israel, and push the West out of the Middle East,” he said.

According to him, a real change by Iran regarding nuclear weapons would be a historic turning point. “If they have abandoned their desire to produce nuclear weapons, which I believe they would use, that would be a dramatic change in the Middle East,” he said. “However, they can still hold those goals and not act on them. They can be put in a box.”

At the end of his remarks, Graham again praised Trump, saying: “I think the president has done more than any president since 1979 to neutralize the threat Iran poses to the world.”

He also added a direct message to Jerusalem and Riyadh: “Saudi Arabia and Israel, frankly, owe President Trump a lot. It would be good for the region and the world if these two countries made peace and did business with each other.”

As recalled, U.S. President Donald Trump was asked yesterday, Tuesday, by a journalist at the G7 summit in France what he would say to Republicans such as Senator Lindsey Graham who question his decisions regarding the agreement with Iran. Trump replied: “If he is skeptical, he will be in big trouble. I believe he is fine.”

Trump’s declaration that the United States and Iran had reached an initial agreement to halt hostilities sparked a mixture of cautious optimism and considerable frustration on Capitol Hill. According to a report in The New York Times, even some Republicans refrained from praising the agreement, whose details have not yet been revealed by the administration.

Graham made clear that he expects to examine the actual document rather than rely on “Iranian propaganda reports,” adding: “The sooner it is published, the better.”

Lawmakers from both parties welcomed the progress toward a possible success, but wondered why Congress had not yet received the details of a deal that could reshape American involvement in the Middle East. “If this is a secret agreement, then how can I take it seriously?” Republican Senator Thom Tillis remarked.

Earlier, Graham wrote on X: “For me, one of the most important things President Trump said today was his desire to expand the Abraham Accords and bring historic stability and prosperity to the Middle East.

Trump is right in his analysis that this can only be achieved if the region believes Iran has been weakened or that Iran has changed its behavior in terms of being a disruptive force and supporting terrorist organizations.

I sincerely hope that the upcoming negotiations to permanently block Iran’s nuclear ambitions will succeed. Because of Trump’s actions, it is clear to me that Iran and its proxies have been extraordinarily weakened, their ability to produce another October 7 no longer exists, and their nuclear capability has been significantly set back.”

Graham further wrote: “The ultimate victory in dealing with Iran is to open a path to peace through expanding the Abraham Accords and building on regional integration. If the conflict with Iran produces this outcome, it will be one of the most successful military operations in American history. Mr. President, you are right to keep your eye on the big prize: regional integration and lasting peace.”