JAKARTA - Veteran US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who has been pushing for a war against Iran for decades, has issued a stern warning to the Iranian government. He said it was worth spending money to "bring down this regime [Iran]".
"When this regime falls, we're going to have a new Middle East, and we [the US] are going to make a lot of money," Graham told Fox News on Sunday, March 8, quoted by Al Jazeera.
Graham, a Trump ally who has become one of the most vocal supporters of Israel and the war against Iran in the US Congress, appeared to hint that the US kidnapping of Venezuelan left-wing leader Nicolas Maduro and the attack on Iran were launched to gain control of the two countries' oil supplies.
"Venezuela and Iran have 31 percent of the world's oil reserves. We will partner with the 31 percent of known reserves. This is China's nightmare. This is a good investment," said Graham.
US Wants to Divide Middle East, Take Oil?
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, on Monday, March 9, accused the US of trying to take control of Iran's oil resources.
"Their plans are clear, their efforts are quite real - they aim to divide our country to illegally take over our oil wealth," he said.
"Their goal is to violate our sovereignty, defeat our people, and destroy our humanity," Baghaei continued.
Graham predicted that the US-Israeli attack on Iran would increase in the coming two weeks. The US will "destroy these people", Graham confidently said.
"No one will threaten [the US] in the Strait of Hormuz again," he continued.
"This regime is dying now, it will kneel, it will fall, and when it falls we will have peace like never before, we will have prosperity like no one has ever imagined," he said.
The massive US-Israeli military attack on Iran has been underway since Saturday, February 28. Graham, who is also a Republican cadre with Trump, is one of many politicians who have expressed their support for war with Iran.
The war also caused oil prices to reach more than 100 US dollars (USD), which affected the global economy, as well as triggering Iran's retaliatory attacks against Gulf or Middle Eastern countries that host US military assets.
As a result, oil and gas production has been disrupted, fuel tankers have been stranded, and airspace in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries has been closed amid the Iranian attacks.
Weeks before the latest war in the Middle East began, Graham made numerous trips to Israel to meet with members of the Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency.
"They're going to tell me things that our own government won't tell me," Graham said.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Graham also spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the trip, "coaching him on how to lobby President [Trump] to act".
Graham said Netanyahu then showed Trump "convincing" intelligence that the US should launch a war with Israel against Iran.
Israel has been pushing the US to go to war against Iran for decades, always citing Iran's plans to build a nuclear bomb. Iran has reiterated that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes and that it has no ambitions to make weapons.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) or the United Nations Nuclear Supervisory Agency has stated that there is currently no evidence or indication of a systematic and ongoing Iranian program related to producing nuclear weapons.
The US government before Trump was elected in the 2024 general election, stayed away from military action. US President Barack Obama signed a nuclear deal in 2015 that limited Iran's nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions. However, Netanyahu opposed the deal. Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018 during his first term.
Graham Supports All US Wars in the Middle East
Graham, considered one of the most hawkish senators, has supported nearly all US military interventions in the Middle East in the past two decades, including the 2003 Iraq War that destroyed the country in the Middle East. More than 270,000 Iraqi civilians died as a direct result of the war.
Graham also supported US military interventions in Iraq in 2003, including in Syria and Libya, which destroyed the latter two countries.
Currently, Libya is still divided, controlled by two rival factions. Meanwhile, the Syrian transitional government has been able to expand control over most of the country's territory under the command of President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who became the de facto leader after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
More than 300,000 people were killed after the US military intervention, and about half of the Syrian population has fled, causing a refugee crisis that reached Europe.
Furthermore, during his interview with Fox News, Graham called on the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to launch an attack on Iran. "Yes. I want them to go to war. We sell them weapons. Iran attacks their country; they have good capabilities," said Graham.
In response to the US and Israeli attacks, Iran launched massive missile and drone attacks targeting US military bases and critical infrastructure in Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain.
Graham's interview also hinted that the White House would likely turn its attention to Cuba after attacking Iran.
"You see this hat? 'Free Cuba.' Just wait. The liberation of Cuba is at hand. We are moving around the world. We are cleaning up the bad guys. Cuba next," Graham said.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
