Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Saturday issued a sharp warning about President Donald Trump’s emerging Iran peace framework, saying it could “pour gasoline” on regional conflicts and supercharge Iranian-backed militant groups.
The South Carolina Republican, who is normally one of Trump’s most reliable allies on foreign policy issues, took to X to warn that the reported terms of the deal could be read as a strategic win for Tehran by other players in the region.
“If it is perceived in the region that a deal with Iran allows the regime to survive and become more powerful over time, we will have poured gasoline on the conflicts in Lebanon and Iraq,” Graham wrote.
He warned specifically about the impact on two Iranian-aligned forces.
“A deal that is perceived to allow Iran to survive and possess the ability to control the Strait in the future will put Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Shia militias in Iraq on steroids,” Graham wrote.
The senator’s remarks land at a politically delicate moment for Trump, who announced earlier in the day from the Oval Office that an agreement involving the United States, Iran, and a coalition of Arab and Muslim nations had been “largely negotiated.”
Graham’s pushback adds to a growing chorus of conservative voices, including former Trump Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and conservative commentator David Hookstead, raising alarms about what the reported framework would actually deliver.
If it is perceived in the region that a deal with Iran allows the regime to survive and become more powerful over time, we will have poured gasoline on the conflicts in Lebanon and Iraq. A deal that is perceived to allow Iran to survive and possess the ability to control the… — Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) May 23, 2026
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