US Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) addressed the Trump Administration's decision on whether to respond militarily to Iran's massacre of thousands of its citizens and continued regional aggression at a press conference he gave today (Monday) during his visit to Israel, and stated that President Trump's deicison would be made in the coming weeks.
"I'm back. I come here every two weeks, whether I need to or not. Why did I come this time? To put a fine point of where we're at as a world regarding the Iranian regime," Graham began.
"The 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, Iranian people in the streets, demanding an end to oppression. All these forces are coming together," he stated.
He credited Israel's response to the October 7th massacre, which was committed by Iran's terrorist proxy Hamas, as one of the primary factors that have weakened Iran. "We must beat the moment. If this regime falls in the coming weeks or months, two things will [be] attributed to it: October 7th. Without October 7th, I do not believe this regime would be as weak as it is today. What happened on October 7th was horrible, and it will be part of the Israeli, the people of Israel's history as long as they're the people of Israel. But your determination out of the ashes of October 7th to give new meaning to never again, to go on the offensive to weaken the Iranian regime and their proxies, is paying dividends. The response of Israel after October 7th to make sure never again was credible has led to the weakest regime in Iran since 1979."
"The second event, the rise of the people [of Iran]. The people in Iran have gone to the streets without weapons, maybe 30,000 or more have been killed to demand an end to their oppression," he added. "These two events, the bravery of the people of Iran who are saying, I've had it, I won't change, and the response of Israel to October 7th have led to the potential demise of the Ayatollah. I can't think of a more satisfying event for me personally than seeing the good people of Iran to be able to get their country back, to live in a place where they didn't have to worry about their daughter being murdered because she didn't wear the headscarf right on bus, being able to be part of the world, not isolated from the world, being able to embrace the light and not be overshadowed by the darkness. I look forward to a day when Israel no longer has to fear a nuclear weapon being developed by the Iranian regime."
According to Sen. Graham: "The best answer to all the problems created by Iran is regime change. The best answer is for the people to take the place of the Ayatollah. I do not believe they're in the streets to build more nuclear weapons. I think they're in the streets to have a better life. I don't think they're in the streets to purify Islam and destroy Israel and come after us to praise Satan. They're in the streets to have normalcy and a life that's not normal. So my view is the risk of regime change is real. There are unknowns, but let me just say this. I'm 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. I think the Ayatollah, as long as he's alive and around, will be chaining death to America and will be trying to enact a religious agenda of purifying Islam and destroy Israel and come after us. He's a religious Nazi," he said. "Hitler wanted a master race. The Ayatollah wants a master religion, and we're not going to give it to him. We're going to fight back."
Addressing "the brave people of Israel," Sen. Graham said: "I know you were hurt very hard, very wide and very deep on October 7th. I'm here to tell you we're on the verge of eliminating the largest state-sponsored terrorism in the region. And with the fall of Iran comes the fall of Hezbollah, Hamas, and Houthis. The real effect is [that] normalization becomes far more likely. If the Ayatollah survives, God help the region. So my presence here today is to reassure the Israeli people."
"There is no light or gaps between President Trump and Bibi about what to do and how to do it. There are two lines in the water right now. One's the diplomatic line, trying to find a way to end this regime diplomatically that will advance our national security interests," he said. "The other line is the military option. I think President Trump is looking for which line can catch the biggest fish. The bottom line is we're into weeks, not months, in terms of decision-making."
Sen. Graham stated that his hope is that "in the coming weeks, if we can't find a diplomatic solution, that we engage in a great endeavor, supporting the people of Iran, demanding their freedom and the end of their oppression. We have military capabilities second to none. There is no more clever nation on the planet than Israel. There is no more powerful nation on the planet than the United States."
Addressing the Iranian regime, he said: "You're weak because of your ideas. You're weak because of the way you've treated your people. You're weak because you're evil. Eventually, good will replace evil in Iran. To those who may participate in this endeavor, God bless you. God keep you safe if that day does come."
"If the regime falls as a result of the pressure put on the regime by Israel and the United States after October 7th, combined with the uprising of the people demanding a better life, then that would be the biggest change in the Mideast in a thousand years. I am leaving here confident of the capability the United States and Israel have called upon to deliver a decisive blow to the Iranian regime. I am hopeful that diplomacy may prevail yet. Either way, our date with history, our date with a new destiny for the Mideast, is upon us," the Senator concluded.