Details and evidence
Support for Israel, embassy move and Gaza comments
Graham was a vocal supporter of moving the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In 2017, a year before the first Trump administration carried out the relocation, he signed a resolution supporting the move and called Jerusalem “the undeniable capital of Israel.”
“Moving our embassy from Tel Aviv to western Jerusalem is not inconsistent with any peace proposal. It is consistent with the reality – as I and many others understand it – that the capital of Israel is Jerusalem,” he said at the time. The decision was heavily criticised by the Palestinians and several Gulf nations.
In July 2024, as protests against the war in Gaza took place in multiple countries including the United States, Graham made a series of comments on X about Palestinians and the slogan “From the river to the sea,” drawing criticism. He also suggested Israel would be justified in using nuclear weapons in Gaza, saying: “Give Israel what they need to fight the war they can’t afford to lose. This is Hiroshima and Nagasaki on steroids.”
Backing US-Israeli action against Iran
Following an attack on Iran on February 28, Graham said it was worth spending money to “take this regime down,” telling Fox News: “When this regime goes down, we are going to have a new Middle East, and we are going to make a tonne of money.”
He added: “This regime is in a death throe now; it is gonna be on its knees, it’s going to fall, and when it falls, we’re going to have peace like no other time, we’re going to have prosperity unlike anyone could ever imagine.”
Several weeks before what the source material describes as the latest war on Iran, Graham made numerous trips to Israel and met members of Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency. “They’ll tell me things our own government won’t tell me,” he said.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Graham also spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during these trips, “coaching him on how to lobby the president [Trump] for action.” Graham claimed Netanyahu later showed Trump intelligence that “persuaded” him to launch joint action against Iran.
After US-Israeli attacks, Iran began attacking US assets in Gulf countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar, according to the source material. Graham later urged the UAE and Saudi Arabia to strike Iran, saying: “I want them to get into the fight. We sell them weapons. Iran is striking their country; they have good capability.”
He also criticised Saudi Arabia last week for not joining the war on Iran, writing on X that “Americans are dying” and that the US was “spending billions,” and urging Gulf Cooperation Council countries to become more involved.
Support for US military interventions in the region
Over the past two decades, Graham backed multiple US military interventions in the Gulf and North Africa, including the 2003 Iraq War. The source material cites more than 270,000 Iraqi civilian deaths as a direct result of that war. It also notes that US troops withdrew partially in 2009, with some remaining to train Iraqi security forces.
Graham also supported US interventions in Syria and Libya. The source material says Libya remains divided between two competing factions, while Syria has undergone political change after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, with a transitional government extending control over most of the country under President Ahmed al-Sharaa. It adds that more than 300,000 people were killed in Syria’s war and about half of the pre-war population was displaced, contributing to a refugee crisis that reached Europe.
Ukraine war advocacy and Russia’s response
Graham was among the strongest advocates in the US Congress for military assistance to Ukraine. Zelenskyy said Graham met him in Kyiv a day before his death and described it as the senator’s “10th visit” to Ukraine.
In March 2023, Russia placed Graham on a wanted list, according to Russian media reports citing the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The move followed the release by Ukraine’s presidential office of an edited video of a Graham-Zelenskyy meeting showing Graham saying, “The Russians are dying,” and describing US support for Ukraine as the “best money we’ve ever spent.”
Graham said he would wear the “arrest warrant” as a “badge of honour,” and challenged Russian authorities to pursue the case at the International Criminal Court, which has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Come and make your best case,” Graham said. “See you in The Hague!”
From Trump critic to close ally
Graham’s relationship with Trump changed sharply over time. During the 2015 Republican presidential primary, when Graham sought the nomination himself, he called Trump a “race-baiting, xenophobic” bigot and a “jackass,” and warned that nominating him would lead Republicans to be “destroyed.”
By 2017, the two had formed a close political relationship and became frequent golfing partners. After meeting Trump in March 2017, Graham wrote on X: “President Trump is strongly committed to rebuilding our military which is music to my ears.”
In February, asked by NBC News how he maintained his relationship with Trump, Graham said: “Well, one, be mildly entertaining. Play golf. And understand he’s been a great president.” He added: “Sometimes I don’t agree… You know what we have in common? I like him, and he likes him.”
