Senator Lindsey Graham played a major role in convincing US President Donald Trump to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing the legislator’s own words.
“One of the things he thought about, and I kept reminding him, is if you do this, you’re going to undo the damage done by the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan under (former President Joe) Biden. Israel has done a great job, but we need to leave our mark, too. It’s in our national interest to be a part of that,” Graham said.
In addition, the senator played golf with Trump shortly before the attack on Iran, and he also used this game to advance his position on the need to strike.
“If you strike, use one club too many,” Graham told the president.
On the night of June 22, the United States entered the conflict between Israel and Iran, striking three key sites of the Iranian nuclear program. Tehran responded with a strike on an American base in Qatar. On June 24, Trump announced a ceasefire between the parties. According to him, the United States destroyed Iran’s nuclear facilities. WSJ notes that the senator influences US policy in the Middle East – for example, before the war between Israel and Hamas, he worked to normalize Israeli-Saudi relations.