WASHINGTON (WCIV) — When President Donald Trump threatened to completely destroy Iran in early April, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham claimed he didn’t care about how the president spoke of the Middle Eastern nation or its people.
Instead, Graham appeared to purport that the approximately 93 million people who reside in the country were a “bunch of terrorists.” The comments Graham was asked about came from Trump, who said “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” as his then-deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz approached. Since then, Iran and the United States have brokered a tenacious ceasefire agreement while attempting to negotiate an off-ramp for both nations.
“I couldn’t care less what words he uses,” Graham said in a press gaggle in Washington on Tuesday. “I want outcomes.”
Graham, who has had the president’s ear for the duration of the conflict, assured that the United States would “comply” with the law of war, but warned that “all hell’s about to break loose on this regime.”
The senior senator said he wouldn’t accept any form of Iranian nuclear enrichment under any circumstance and stressed that the president was attempting to “allow” Iran to exist as a nation, not as a “state sponsor of terrorism.”
Graham also claimed that any highly enriched uranium that Iran does possess would need to be under the control of the United States. However, the Trump administration and Graham’s desires currently run contrary to Iran’s desired terms of agreement.
Nonetheless, U.S. and Iranian negotiators have reportedly made progress on a framework agreement to end the war. And multiple reports suggest that a new round of direct in-person talks will likely take place in the coming days before the ceasefire expires.
For Graham, if a negotiated peace agreement doesn’t come soon, he is urging the president to “finish the job.”
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“As to delaying the negotiations or extending the ceasefire, I think it will be a mistake,” Graham said. “They know what we want. I am afraid they’re going to drag it out. And I would urge the president to stick to the deadline.”