Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., warned that the survival of Iran's ruling regime poses a fatal threat to the Abraham Accords and broader Middle East peace efforts, arguing that a historic opportunity for change is at hand.
During a visit to the United Arab Emirates, where he met with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed, Graham said the stability created by the Abraham Accords will remain fragile as long as Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the current Iranian leadership stay in power.
"If after all this, Khamenei is still standing, then I think the Abraham Accords will eventually fall, and Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis will get stronger," Graham told The Jerusalem Post.
Graham tied the current moment to Israel's response to the Oct. 7 massacre, saying Tehran and its proxies have been weakened unlike at any point since 1979.
"The determination of the Israeli people to make sure 'Never Again' has meaning has weakened Iran and their proxies, unlike any time since the founding of the religious-Nazi state in 1979," he said.
He added that the "sacrifice" of Iranians protesting for freedom, combined with Israel's military resolve, has created a "historic moment."
But Graham warned that if the United States signals support for Iranian protesters and fails to follow through, the consequences would be severe.
"Once you tell the protesters to keep protesting, and that help is on the way, if you don't then deliver on that promise, then it will be a generational disaster," he said. "It would be worse than Afghanistan. Nobody will trust us in the future."
Addressing concerns about the risks of regime change, Graham invoked history.
"People probably asked in 1935: 'What's the downside of killing Hitler?'" he told the Post. "Let's take him out. To me, it's not even a close call. Trading the ayatollah for the protesters is a good trade for America."
Graham insisted there is "no daylight between Israel and the U.S. when it comes to regional threats, particularly Iran," while noting that President Donald Trump is pursuing both diplomatic and military tracks.
"We're in the area now where we have got to make some strategic decisions about diplomacy and military action in the coming weeks, not months," he said.
Any agreement with Iran "has to go through the Senate," Graham added, predicting skepticism toward any deal that leaves the regime intact.
"President Trump is one of the smartest guys I know about [being] strong without getting entangled," Graham said.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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