Sen Graham urges accountability for Iran over Hezbollah's actions against Israel

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U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced a resolution on Wednesday aimed at holding the Iranian regime accountable should Hezbollah's counter-attack Israel lead to a major regional conflict in Lebanon and the Middle East region.

The Biden administration has been reluctant to confront the Iranian regime’s terror proxy influence in the Middle East, which threatens its neighbors, as well as U.S. national interests. By contrast, Graham’s proposed resolution "asserts that efforts to deter Hezbollah and the Islamic Republic of Iran are most credible when the President keeps all options on the table, including military force."

Furthermore, the resolution presented by the Republican senator holds Iran and its Lebanese proxy, Hezbollah, accountable for "any adverse impacts on the people of Lebanon that result from an attack on the State of Israel by Hezbollah." It also calls on the U.S. President Joe Biden and Congress to utilize "all diplomatic tools and power projection capabilities" to deter the Iranian regime and Hezbollah forces.

Washington needs to confront the growing Iranian nuclear threat by introducing an "Authorization for Use of Military Force" against the regime, according to Graham.

"Iran will keep going until somebody tells them to stop," he said during a press conference on Wednesday. "It is time to put red lines on their nuclear program."

The senator argued that unless Washington changes its policy toward Iran, "it is a certainty" that the ayatollah regime will eventually acquire nuclear weapons that will threaten the Middle East and the international community.

"Their ability to enrich to weapons grade is now a matter of weeks, not months," Graham said. "Their ability to weaponize the material has advanced, and it is now time for Congress to lend their voice to the proper response."

Iran is widely recognized as the world’s leading sponsor of state terrorism across the Middle East, including Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis, providing them with financial and military support. They remain a threat to Israel, as well as moderate Sunni Arab states and U.S. forces in the Middle East. Senator Graham has suggested that in response to these actions, targeted measures against Iran’s oil industry could be considered.

"If Hezbollah attacks Israel, my hope is that they will have one less refinery than they do today," the senator said. "It is time to hit the Ayatollah in the pocketbook. Oil refineries are the lifeblood of his regime. Without those refineries, they would not be able to fund terrorism," Graham said.

During a solidarity visit to Israel following the Oct. 7 Hamas invasion and attack on southern Israeli border communities, Graham vowed to support Israel against what he described as the new Nazi threat.

“We’re here today to give Israel what they need to do the job of destroying the modern version of Nazis – Hamas,” Graham said. While the focus at the time was on Hamas, the senator also sent a warning to Iran and Hezbollah.

“If there is an effort to unleash Hezbollah on the Jewish state to destroy it, my attention will be to Tehran," Graham stated.

On Wednesday, the U.S. senator reminded his audience of the alliance between Iran and Hezbollah and Hamas.

"Hezbollah was the agent of the attack, on October 7, the slaughtering of 1,200 Jews was done by the Iranians through Hamas," he said. "So our friends in Israel, if you're hit by Hezbollah, strike hard, strike lethal and include Iran on the target list."