Sen. Lindsey Graham: "Let's try a diplomatic solution. I think it's going to fail."

Washington — GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said Sunday helium expects the U.S.'s attempts to scope a diplomatic solution with Iran to fail, though helium noted that helium would "rather effort diplomacy than instrumentality it disconnected the table."

"Let's effort a diplomatic solution. I deliberation it's going to fail. What happens next?" Graham said connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan."

Vice President JD Vance and different U.S. negotiators are meeting with Iranian officials successful Switzerland connected Sunday, arsenic the timepiece starts connected a 60-day negotiating play pursuing the 2 countries' signing of a memorandum of knowing past week. But already, struggle betwixt Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah has endangered the U.S.-Iran ceasefire. Iran said Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz volition beryllium closed again aft it accused the U.S. and Israel of violating the agreement.

Graham, who said helium spent 4 and a fractional hours with the president connected Friday, outlined that if a woody fails, helium expects "President Trump is going to instrumentality the Strait of Hormuz implicit by force." 

"The United States volition power the Strait of Hormuz, we'll complaint a interest for each those who spell done to wage for the operation, and we're going to grow the Abraham Accords successful calendar twelvemonth 2026," Graham said.  

Graham added, "if Iran contests power of the Strait of Hormuz by the United States, we volition obliterate them."

"So, to each the radical listening, if this diplomatic effort fails, President Trump is going to instrumentality the Strait of Hormuz. We're going to tally it," Graham said. "We're going to effort to get Saudi Arabia to articulation the Abraham Accords, extremity the Arab-Israeli struggle successful 2026. And if Iran continues to onslaught Israel and Lebanon, the caller argumentation volition be, we'll deed Iran."

Earlier this month, Graham — who has agelong held hawkish views connected Iran — came retired powerfully against the archetypal contours of the deal. He took peculiar contented with $300 cardinal successful slated reconstruction funds for Iran, which helium wrote connected X would beryllium "akin to a Marshall Plan for Germany with the Nazis inactive successful charge." In caller days, pursuing the merchandise of the 14-point memorandum of understanding with Iran, Graham's presumption appeared to change. 

Graham explained connected Sunday that "before, I thought the wealth was coming from the West." Now, helium believes U.S.-allied Gulf states are apt to supply the money, which helium said would beryllium a affirmative improvement due to the fact that "it would mean that the Sunni Arabs judge that Iran has changed to the constituent they privation to beryllium a concern partner."

While the South Carolina Republican called the memorandum of knowing "problematic," helium argued "the wealth Iran gets is not going to alteration the aboriginal of Iran."

"It's not capable to reconstruct the country," Graham said.