Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) met with top Israeli leadership and held a press conference in Tel Aviv on Monday, focusing on efforts to bring about regime change in Iran. “The offensive to weaken the Iranian regime and its proxies is paying dividends,” he said.
Graham said the purpose of his visit was to “reassure the Israeli people” that there was no daylight between U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when it came to Iran, and “about what to do and how to do it.”
“We’re on the verge of eliminating the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the region,” Graham said, describing Iran and its leadership as at “their weakest points since 1979.”
Trump is only “weeks away” from a decision on the best way to bring about regime change in the Islamic Republic, whether through diplomacy or military means, he said.
“There are two lines in the water right now. One’s the 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,” Graham said. “I think President Trump is looking for which line can catch the biggest fish. The bottom line is we’re ... weeks, not months, in terms of decision making.”
The senator said he hopes that if a diplomatic solution can’t be found, then the United States and Israel would “engage in a great endeavor” to support the people of Iran in their demand for freedom and a normal life.
“As to the Iranian regime, you’re weak because of your ideas. You’re weak because of the way you treat your people. You’re weak because you’re evil,” Graham said.
He acknowledged that Iran can cause damage if attacked, but the risk of doing nothing, “of blinking, and pulling the plug,” far outweighs the risk from an Iranian retaliatory strike.
If the Iranian regime survives, then the Hamas-led terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023, will be a “strategic win for Iran, for radical Islam,” Graham said. But if the regime falls due to pressure from Jerusalem, Washington and the Iranian people, it will be “the biggest change in the Mideast in 1,000 years.”
“I am hopeful that diplomacy may prevail yet. Either way, our date with history, our date with the new destiny for the Mideast, is upon us,” he said. “I am leaving here confident in the capability of the United States and Israel, if called upon, to deliver a decisive blow to the Iranian regime.”
Earlier in the day, Graham met separately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar.
Sa’ar praised the senator, calling him “one of Israel’s greatest friends in the U.S. and around the world.”
“It’s always good to meet with him, and so it was during his current visit to Israel. Lindsey possesses a clear geopolitical vision, alongside a distinct moral dimension regarding our region and beyond,” Sa’ar tweeted on Monday.
Senator @LindseyGrahamSC is one of the most influential American senators and also one of Israel’s greatest friends in the US and around the world.
— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) February 16, 2026
It's always good to meet with him, and so it was during his current visit to Israel.
Lindsey possesses a clear geopolitical vision,… pic.twitter.com/vT2Ue4JQZL
Graham has been a staunch supporter of regime change in Iran. On the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 13, he told C-SPAN, “Every now and then, somebody will come along in history who is nuts. ... Hitler wanted a master race. The ayatollah wants a master religion ... Here is my objective: The ayatollah will not be in charge of Iran.”
On Feb. 10, Graham warned Iran’s leaders that if they continue “the course they are on, then I believe President Trump’s statement that help is on the way is becoming more real by the day.”
