The US senator said, \u201cThe Iranian ayatollah and his murderous regime are at their weakest point since 1979. Their economy is in shambles. Their military has been degraded. There are people in the streets.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe risk of regime change is real. There are unknowns. But let me just say this, I\u2019m willing to take that risk. I think the Iranian people have the potential to be a great ally of the United States, Israel and the region,\u201d Graham said.<\/p>\n
While Graham is seen regularly with Trump, it is unclear the degree to which he influences the US president\u2019s decision-making.<\/p>\n
He is also part of the Republican party\u2019s more hawkish wing, which is competing with more isolationist members of Trump\u2019s inner circle who are more wary of military action against Iran.<\/p>\n
\u2018Strategic victory for Iran\u2019 if ayatollah not toppled<\/p>\n
Graham held a phone interview with The Times of Israel later Monday, during which he said that the US must deliver on its pledges<\/a> to aid Iranian anti-regime protesters.<\/p>\n \u201cWe promised that help would be on the way to the protesters,\u201d he said after meeting with top Israeli officials in Jerusalem, including Netanyahu. \u201cWe have to deliver on that promise.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf having said all the things we\u2019ve said and done all the things we\u2019ve done,\u201d he continued, \u201cif the ayatollah is still standing after all this bluster, then it would be a strategic victory for Iran and the force of radical Islam.\u201d<\/p>\n There is \u201cno daylight\u201d between Trump and Netanyahu on Iran, he stressed.<\/p>\n \t But Trump\u2019s statement after his meeting last week with Netanyahu in Washington appeared to suggest otherwise.<\/p>\n He wrote on Truth Social that he \u201cinsisted\u201d to the Israeli prime minister that a chance be given to see if the ongoing nuclear talks succeed before military options are pursued. Netanyahu has been more skeptical of the negotiations.<\/p>\n Trump later last week opined that regime change in Iran \u201cwould be the best thing that could happen,\u201d appearing to contradict US Vice President JD Vance, who said hours earlier that Washington was not trying to topple the Islamic Republic and was focused on reaching an agreement that will prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.<\/p>\n Huckabee: At some point, US will need to say enough is enough<\/p>\n Striking a similar tone to that of Graham, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Monday that he hopes a diplomatic accord with Iran can be reached but is skeptical that military action can ultimately be avoided.<\/p>\n \u201cWill there be anything that can come from that that will bring peace?\u201d he asked, while speaking to Jewish leaders at a gathering of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in Jerusalem. \u201cI honestly don\u2019t know. I know there\u2019s a lot of significant and legitimate doubt that the Iranians will ever agree to something that would cause them to lay down any ambitions of nuclear weaponry.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAt some point, the United States needs to say: enough is enough. We\u2019re not going to continue to believe that they\u2019re ever going to be different than they are. And it\u2019s time for them to either make a radical change of their point of view and their direction, or for them to experience what we call in the south, the \u2018second kick of a mule,\u2019\u201d the ambassador said.<\/p>\n Huckabee reiterated that Israel and the United States are \u201cabsolutely aligned in our understanding that Iran has to be dealt with and it cannot continue as it is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey cannot remain a nuclear threat. They cannot continue to build extraordinary surpluses of ballistic missiles and aim them, not just at Israel, but also at the rest of the world,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n While Huckabee said he would be \u201cdelighted\u201d if an accord could be reached \u2014 adding that the consequences of failing to do so for Iran would be \u201charsh and much worse\u201d than Israel\u2019s 12-day conflict with Iran last year \u2014 he expressed skepticism that Iran would be \u201cserious\u201d about making or keeping such a commitment.<\/p>\n \t Huckabee said he told Trump last week at the White House that it would be \u201cmiraculous if some deal could be reached that would thwart the need, the necessity, the absolute certainty of some military action,\u201d but also that he was \u201cwilling to do whatever must be done to stop this threat that I\u2019ve had to listen to for 47 years since 1979.\u201d<\/p>\n Iran says US stance now \u2018more realistic\u2019<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Iran said on Monday that the US position on its nuclear program \u201chas moved toward a more realistic one.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA cautious assessment is that, from the discussions that have taken place in Muscat to date, at least what we have been told is that the US position on the Iranian nuclear issue has moved towards a more realistic one,\u201d said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei, the official IRNA news agency reported.<\/p>\n Washington has ordered a second aircraft carrier group to the Middle East in the latest standoff with Tehran, in addition to other US warships and aircraft that have already been deployed.<\/p>\n Adding to the tension, Iran began a military drill on Monday in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital international waterway and oil export route from Gulf Arab states, who have been appealing for diplomacy to end the dispute.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/DSC_3620-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hosts visiting US Senator Lindsey Graham in Jerusalem, February 16, 2026. (Maayan Toaf\/GPO)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-02-16-at-19.29.41-640x400.jpeg\")
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\n\t\tUS Ambassador Mike Huckabee addresses the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations\u2019 Leadership Mission in Jerusalem, February 16, 2026. (Courtesy)<\/p>\n
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