Lindsey Graham Predicts Iran Peace Talks Will Fail, Says Trump Will Take Strait Of Hormuz ‘By Force’
Sen. Lindsey Graham predicted Sunday that ongoing peace negotiations between the United States and Iran will ultimately collapse, warning that President Donald Trump would respond by seizing the Strait of Hormuz by force if necessary.
Speaking on CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” Graham said he supports giving diplomacy a chance but remains deeply skeptical that the current talks will produce a lasting agreement.
“I’d rather try diplomacy than take it off the table,” Graham said.
“If you don’t have a diplomatic path through the MOU, then you have to go to war or some other form of coercion. Let’s try this. Let’s try a diplomatic solution. I think it’s going to fail.”
The comments come after the United States and Iran signed a 14-point memorandum of understanding last week that launched a 60-day negotiating period aimed at reaching a broader peace agreement.
Graham said he recently spent several hours with President Trump and believes the administration is prepared to take dramatic action if negotiations break down.
“I spent four-and-a-half hours with President Trump, Friday. Here’s what I think will happen next. If this deal fails, President Trump is going to take the Strait of Hormuz over by force,” Graham said.
“If Iran contests control of the Strait of Hormuz by the United States, we will obliterate them.”
The South Carolina Republican also warned that any future attacks by Hezbollah against Israel could trigger direct military action against Iran.
“The new policy will be, we will attack Iran,” Graham said.
President Trump has recently signaled a hardline approach as well, threatening to bomb Iran again if Tehran fails to rein in its regional proxies and suggesting that tolls could be imposed if the United States is forced to serve as the security guarantor of the vital shipping lane.
Beyond the immediate crisis, Graham predicted that Trump could achieve a major diplomatic breakthrough in the Middle East by bringing Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords and normalizing relations between Riyadh and Israel.
The senator argued that such a deal became far more difficult after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks but insisted it remains achievable if Iran’s influence in the region is significantly curtailed.
“Donald Trump is going to empower me and others to jump-start … an effort to get Saudi to join Israel,” Graham said.
“There will be accommodations made by Saudi and Israel. To Saudi and Israel, you have no better friend than Donald Trump.”