Overview
- Sen. Lindsey Graham told CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday that he expects the staged memorandum and 60-day talks in Switzerland to collapse and said diplomacy should still be tried.
- Graham predicted that if talks fail, President Trump would seize control of the Strait of Hormuz, run passage there and charge fees to ships that transit the waterway.
- He warned that U.S. forces would use overwhelming force if Iran tried to contest control of the strait and that strikes on Iran would follow if Iran or its proxies attack Israel or Lebanon.
- Graham renewed earlier criticisms of provisions tied to reconstruction funds for Iran, saying his concern eased if Gulf states, not Western governments, supply the money; core technical issues such as nuclear verification and custody of enriched uranium remain unresolved.
- The threat of U.S. control over the strait raises global energy and shipping risks, increases political pressure in Washington on negotiators, and ties the talks to broader regional moves such as expanding the Abraham Accords.