Even some of President Donald Trump’s most hawkish allies are beginning to sound uneasy about the widening conflict with Iran.
In a post on X on Sunday, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham urged U.S. ally Israel to be more “cautious” after the country bombed 30 Iranian fuel depots on Saturday in a move sure to spook oil markets and spike energy prices.
“Our allies in Israel have shown amazing capability when it comes to collapsing the murderous regime in Iran. America is most appreciative. However, there will be a day soon that the Iranian people will be in charge of their own fate, not the murderous ayatollah’s regime. In that regard, please be cautious about what targets you select,” Graham wrote on X.
“Our goal is to liberate the Iranian people in a fashion that does not cripple their chance to start a new and better life when this regime collapses. The oil economy of Iran will be essential to that endeavor.”
The scope of Saturday’s strikes was reportedly far greater than the U.S. expected, Axios reported.
Israel informed the U.S. of the strikes in advance, but a U.S. official told Axios they were taken aback by how sweeping they were.
“We don’t think it was a good idea,” the senior U.S. official said.
Meanwhile, a Trump adviser told Axios that Trump “doesn’t like the attack.”
“He wants to save the oil. He doesn’t want to burn it. And it reminds people of higher gas prices,” they said.
Amid the first major disagreement between the two allies over the war in Iran, Israel has defended the strikes, with the Israeli Defense Forces claiming that the fuel depots “are used by the Iranian regime to supply fuel to different consumers including its military organs.”
An Israeli military official said the strikes were partly meant to pressure Iran to stop hitting Israeli civilian infrastructure. Iran was accused of targeting residential buildings in Israel after initial airstrikes in June.
Since then, Iran has launched ballistic missiles and drones at a range of targets inside Israel, primarily focusing on military and strategic sites but also striking areas near major cities, including strategic transport hubs such as Ben Gurion Airport. Bahrain also accused Iran of striking a desalination plant vital to drinking water supplies.
And more Iranian strikes could be coming, which could see oil prices reach historic highs.
Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya military headquarters has warned that if attacks on its oil facilities continue, Tehran could retaliate by striking energy targets across the region. The spokesman added that Iran has so far avoided such targets—but cautioned that doing so could drive oil prices as high as $200 a barrel.
Despite the chaos, Sen. Graham has been a vocal supporter of the “Peace President’s” war in Iran.
On Fox News’s Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo, Graham, who has long advocated for military action against Iran, gushed: “We’re going to blow the hell out of these people.”
Graham, who played a key role in urging Trump to strike Iran, also showered the president with praise.
“Donald Trump is resetting the world in a way nobody could have dreamed of a year ago,” he added. “He is the greatest commander-in-chief of all time. Our military is the best of all time. Iran is going down, and Cuba is next. “
Graham has also rejected the idea that the U.S. would be responsible for rebuilding Iran after military action, telling NBC’s Meet the Press last week: “You know, this idea, ‘You break it, you own it,’ I don’t buy that one bit.”
He added: “This is not Iraq. This is not Germany. This is not Japan. We’re going to free the people up from a terrorist regime.”
Graham also argued that having a detailed post‑war strategy for Iran isn’t the president’s responsibility.
“It’s not his job or my job to do this. How many times do I have to tell you? Our job is to make sure Iran is no longer the largest state sponsor of terrorism. To help the people reconstruct a new government. No boots on the ground,” he said.
While some MAGA supporters have embraced the decision to attack Iran, others, including far-right figures Milo Yiannopoulos, Nick Fuentes, and Andrew Tate, as well as former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, have criticized the president for deviating from the “America First” and “No new wars” platform he ran on.
Since the U.S. and Israel launched the war last weekend, at least seven American service members and more than 1,300 Iranians have been killed.
Trump has repeatedly acknowledged that Americans could die in the conflict, and when asked earlier this week by Time Magazine whether people in the U.S. should worry about a potential strike on the home front, he replied bleakly: “I guess.”
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