US Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) appeared to call for a limited military strike against Iran to "reset" the conflict between the US and the Islamic Republic in response to Iran's continued intransigence and threats to global shipping.
"I have every confidence that President Trump fully understands the situation with Iran and will not continue to tolerate a refusal to negotiate in good faith along with Iran’s defiant aggression in the Strait of Hormuz and throughout the region," Graham wrote on X.
"It is abundantly clear to me that Iran has been very weakened militarily and economically. But at the same time, they have become more emboldened and aggressive," he said. "A short but forceful response now would reset the conflict in all the right ways."
"When it comes to Iran, it is imperative that we negotiate from a position of strength and dominance. We must finish what we started. I fear continuing negotiations without a forceful response prolongs the conflict, gives our allies doubt and will further embolden the Iranian terrorist regime," the Senator concluded.
US President Donald Trump spoke to Fortune magazine and addressed Tehran’s conduct in the negotiations.
“They scream all the time," he told Fortune, referring to the Iranians. “I can tell you one thing - they’re dying to sign [a deal]. But they make a deal, and then they send you a paper that has no relationship to the deal you made. I say, ‘Are you people crazy?’ "
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei, however, presented his country’s position and clarified that Tehran’s current focus is not on the details of the nuclear issue, but on achieving regional calm.
“Regarding issues related to the nuclear [matter], we have explicitly clarified our positions," Baghaei said. “At this stage, our focus is on ending the war, in accordance with the boundaries which I explained in various meetings. As for the nuclear issue, we also emphasized that we will not give up our rights under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. As of now, we also have not discussed the details of the nuclear issues, and all of our focus will be on ending the war."
He added that his country is militarily prepared for developments and is ready to respond forcefully to any action against it.
“We are advancing diplomacy seriously, but we do not intend to surrender to the contradictory behavior and threats of the parties against us," Baghaei declared. “We are fully prepared for any scenario, and as our armed forces have shown over the past 40 days, in the event of any insane action, we will respond with full force. I also assure you that our armed forces will also have new surprises for the enemy."