US senator Lindsey Graham has revealed that military planning for a strike on Iran is under way, with the decision on whether to attack hanging in the balance.
"The military capability is being built up as I speak. The inflection point is weeks away, not months away," he told The National during a visit to Abu Dhabi. "That's why I'm here. That's why I haven't slept. Because you see this can go really good or really bad."
His comments came after a trip to Israel where he met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and emphasised the need for regime change in Iran.
"This region will never stabilise, will never move towards the lightness, away from the darkness, until the Ayatollah [Ali Khamenei] is dispatched," he said on an episode of On The Record with Hadley Gamble. "Either he changes, which I don't think will happen, or he's replaced."
The US and Iran have been engaged in nuclear talks in Geneva, but progress has been slow. Iran has insisted that negotiations focus only on its nuclear programme, rejecting US demands to discuss ballistic missiles and regional proxies such as Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthi rebels.
US President Donald Trump previously warned he could intervene as Tehran carried out a deadly crackdown on anti-government protests that swept across the country. Praising Mr Trump's approach to Iran, Mr Graham explained: "When Trump said, ‘Keep protesting, help is on the way’, he locked in this region in a way where the choice is really clear. [Trump] said we need new leadership in Iran ... the best way to make Iran great again is for the people to take over."
The senator’s visit to Abu Dhabi coincided with the movement of significant US military hardware to the Middle East. The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier is already in the Arabian Gulf and the USS Gerald R Ford is on its way.
Mr Graham warned that time is running out for a diplomatic resolution with Tehran, saying: "In the next 30 days, if we don't have some resolution about the Iranian file, I think the moment may pass."
Mr Graham also spoke of another regional matter, after several weeks of intense criticism of the UAE through Saudi social media and TV channels. He urged the countries to put aside their differences and focus on the "big prize" of replacing Iran's regime.
"Saudi Arabia is now moving backwards. They're attacking the United Arab Emirates viciously for being in the Abraham Accords,” he said. “I'm here to get everybody back together on the big prize. The big prize is for the Iranian regime to be replaced by people that don't want to blow us all up and kill everybody all the time."
He urged Saudi Arabia to "suck it up" and prioritise the bigger issue in the region. "There is no good reason for this," he added. "You can have disputes about Sudan and Yemen, but they're basically declaring war."
The full interview will be available on our YouTube channel at 8pm GST
