Tel Aviv, Feb 17 (.) Republican senator and Trump ally Lindsey Graham, during his visit to Israel said that a decision on potential US military action against Iran was “weeks” not “months” away, opining that should Washington or Tel Aviv fail to oust the reigning Ayatollah’s Islamic Republic, it would be “a strategic victory” for Tehran.
Speaking at a press conference in Tel Aviv late Monday, Graham said he was visiting the country “to reassure the Israeli people, reports Times Of Israel.
“There are two lines in the water right now,” Graham said. “One’s a diplomatic line, trying to find a way to end this regime diplomatically that will advance our national security interests. The other line is the military option.”
Meeting Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as several other top Israeli officials, Graham, commenting on the US strategy opined that President Donald Trump was “looking for which line can catch the biggest fish. Bottom line is we’re in the weeks, not months, in terms of decision-making.”
The US senator said, “The Iranian ayatollah and his murderous regime are at their weakest point since 1979. Their economy is in a shambles. Their military has been degraded. There are people out in the streets.
“The risk of regime change is real. There are unknowns. But let me just say this, I’m willing to take that risk. I think the Iranian people have the potential to be a great ally of the United States, Israel and the region.”
While close to Trump, the extent to which he influences the POTUS’ decision making is unclear, though is noted for his hawkish stance on Tehran, where he has supported the notion for launching an all-out military action against the Islamic Republic.
The US Senator further said that Washington must deliver on its earlier pledges to the people of Iran, and aid them in their fight against the “murderous” theocratic regime, in a reference to Trump’s earlier comments where he had repeatedly claimed that “help is on the way,” when the protests in the country had reached their bloodiest.
However, contrasting Graham’s more direct-action posture, Trump has signalled a preference to diplomacy, largely exercising restraint, as seen from his previous posts where he has insisted that he would prefer to reach a deal with Iran regarding its nuclear programme which was mutually acceptable, though Tel Aviv has largely been sceptical regarding the success of negotiations.
. . PRS