Lindsey Graham twisted himself in knots defending his flip flop on Trump’s MOU with Iran and, of course was all-in with Trump’s latest threat to have the military seize control of the Strait of Hormuz if the deal falls apart.
Graham was asked about his evolving position now that Trump signed the so-called “agreement” and his excuse was basically, it’s perfectly fine to give money to the Iranian regime as long as it’s the Arabs doing it:
BRENNAN: There’s a lot that still hasn’t been figured out here in this deal, but you wrote nine days ago the idea of a US plan with partners to create a fund of at least $300 billion- this is point six in the memorandum- is “tone deaf,” and it’s “akin to a Marshall Plan for Germany with the Nazis still in charge.” Why did you change your position–
GRAHAM: It would be–
BRENNAN: –and now you support it?
GRAHAM: Because before, I thought the money was coming from the West. If the West funds Iran, I think that would be a Marshall Plan with a Nazi still in charge for Germany. If the plan envisions–
BRENNAN: You’re okay if it doesn’t come from the U.S.?
GRAHAM: –the Sunni Arabs- yeah, if the Sunni Arabs do it. Can you imagine if Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates invest $300 billion in Iran? That would tell me that Iran has changed. To all the experts out there, do you think Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates are going to invest in Iran, with a theocracy bent on destroying Sunni Islam? So, think- think it through. If the money comes from the Sunni Arab world, I hope it happens. It would mean that the Sunni Arabs believe that Iran has changed to the point they want to be a business partner. I pray that happens. I doubt if it will.
After Brennan showed Graham a series of clips of other Republicans criticizing the MOA, Brennan asked Graham if he agreed with their concerns, and in response, Graham blew them off and repeated Trump’s threat to take over the Strait of Hormuz by force before insisting that Trump was going to get Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords, which he knows full well isn’t going to happen.
BRENNAN: All of those Republicans are seriously doubting the president here, Senator Graham. Do you agree with their concerns?
GRAHAM: No, I don’t. We’re not giving any money to Iran that can change the course of history to try diplomacy. Is the MOU problematic? Yeah. I’d rather try diplomacy than take it off the table. The money Iran gets is not going to change the future of Iran. It’s not enough to reconstruct the country. If you don’t have a diplomatic path through the MOU, then you have to go to war or some other form of coercion. Let’s try this. Let’s try a diplomatic solution. I think it’s going to fail.
What happens next? I spent four-and-a-half hours with President Trump, Friday. Here’s what I think will happen next. If this deal fails, President Trump is going to take the Strait of Hormuz over by force. The United States will control the Strait of Hormuz. We’ll charge a fee for all those who go through- through to pay for the operation, and we’re going to expand the Abraham Accords in calendar year 2026. We’re going to get Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords, and- which is the biggest change in 5,000 years in the Mideast. And if Iran contests control of the Strait of Hormuz by the United States, we will obliterate them. So, to all the people listening, if this diplomatic effort fails, President Trump is going to take the Strait of Hormuz.
BRENNAN: Yeah.
GRAHAM: We’re going to run it. We’re going to try to get Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords to end the Arab-Israeli conflict in 2026, and if Iran continues to attack Israel and Lebanon, the new policy will be, we’ll hit Iran. So, to the Iranians, if you’re listening, when you use Hezbollah to attack Israel, I think the new policy will be, we will attack Iran.
Graham is just as crazy as Trump is.
