Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said this week that President Donald Trump’s recent actions against Iran have left Tehran and its regional allies severely weakened, opening a window for negotiations aimed at permanently ending the country’s nuclear ambitions and for a renewed push to expand the Abraham Accords.
“I sincerely hope the upcoming negotiations to forever foreclose Iran’s nuclear ambitions are a success,” Graham said, adding that Iran and its allied groups across the region were “incredibly weakened” and that their capacity to mount “another October 7 doesn’t exist.” He said Iran’s nuclear program had also suffered “a major setback.”
Graham framed the broader goal in regional terms, describing the “ultimate win” of confronting Iran as a pathway toward peace built on an expanded Abraham Accords and deeper regional integration. “If the conflict with Iran yields this outcome,” he said, “it will be one of the most successful military operations in American history.”
“Put Iran in a Box”
Speaking further on the negotiations ahead, Graham drew a sharp line between his confidence in the administration and his skepticism toward Tehran.
“The president can be trusted. I don’t know about the Iranians — given 47 years of deceit, I would say no.”
He credited the administration’s approach with shifting the balance of power in the region. “President Trump’s done more to deal with Iran than anybody since I’ve been around,” Graham said. “They’re the weakest they’ve been militarily. Their economy is in shambles.” For Graham, the strategic objective is straightforward: “The goal for me is to put Iran in a box so we can get regional peace.”
He went further, naming the partner he sees as the next major addition to the Accords. “Saudi Arabia joins the Abraham Accords,” he said, “and that will only happen with a weak Iran.”
The Senator’s Statement on X
Graham laid out the same argument at greater length in a post published to his account on X, reacting to remarks President Trump made the same day.
To me one of the most important things said by President Trump today is that it is his desire to expand the Abraham Accords, bringing historic stability and prosperity to the Middle East.
President Trump is correct in his analysis that this can only be achieved if the region believes Iran has been weakened or Iran has changed its behavior in terms of being a disruptive force and supporting terrorist organizations.
I sincerely hope the upcoming negotiations to forever foreclose Iran’s nuclear ambitions are a success. Due to President Trump’s actions, it is clear to me Iran and its proxies are incredibly weakened and their ability to generate another October 7 doesn’t exist, and there has been a major setback in their nuclear capability.
The ultimate win for taking on Iran is to open up a pathway to peace through Abraham Accord expansion and build on regional integration.
If the conflict with Iran yields this outcome, it will be one of the most successful military operations in American history.
Mr. President, you are right to keep your eye on the big prize: regional integration and lasting peace.
Graham’s remarks land at a moment when the future shape of US Middle East policy is being actively debated in Washington — between expanding the Accords through diplomacy and continuing to weigh military and economic pressure on Tehran. For advocates of the Abrahamic peace framework, his comments add a prominent voice to the case that regional integration, not isolation, remains the most durable route to stability.