Sen. Lindsey Graham pushed President Trump on Tuesday to include strict limits on Iran’s support for terror proxies in Lebanon as part of any peace deal with Tehran.
Mr. Graham, South Carolina Republican and a national security hawk, pushed to include Hezbollah as Mr. Trump tries to finalize a memorandum of understanding that would lift his blockade on Iran, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and set the table for constraining Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
“Any deal that does not punish Iran in the future for supporting groups like Hezbollah — whose stated goal is to destroy Israel and control Lebanon through force of arms — would be a tremendous missed opportunity,” Mr. Graham posted on X.
The senator said Iran is at its weakest point since the Islamic revolution in 1979, but can still project power through regional proxies such as Hezbollah and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that launched terror attacks on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
“Iran’s ability to generate future October 7-style attacks [is] not connected to their nuclear program, but rather their unending desire to disrupt the region and eventually destroy Israel through their proxies,” Mr. Graham posted.
The U.S. and Israel launched a military campaign against Iran on Feb. 28 to prevent the regime from obtaining a nuclear weapon. All sides entered a ceasefire in early April to stop the main fighting.
Now Hezbollah’s role in Lebanon is a key component of peace talks. Hezbollah is a Shiite militant group that acts as a political party and an Iran-backed terror proxy in Lebanon.
Iran said Israel’s continued bombardment of Hezbollah targets near Beirut amounts to a violation of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire.
Tehran threatened to pull out of peace talks, but Mr. Trump spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ensure that Israel would not send more troops to Beirut.
Mr. Graham encouraged Mr. Trump to lean into limits on Hezbollah instead of taking his foot off the gas.
“Any deal with Iran must clearly state that if Iran provides future support to terrorist organizations like Hezbollah, it will result in crippling sanctions and other punitive measures,” the senator posted.
Mr. Netanyahu has vowed to continue striking Hezbollah targets, though the campaign may be directed toward targets away from the Lebanese capital.
Mr. Trump said he had a “productive” discussion with Mr. Netanyahu on Monday, though some U.S. critics of the war said Mr. Netanyahu has too much influence over the White House.
“The more Netanyahu prevents the war with Iran from ending, the more obvious it becomes that he convinced Trump to start it,” Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who recently lost his reelection primary, posted on social media.
