‘Too soon to know’ if Iran has renounced its nuclear ambitions: Senator Lindsey Graham

Senator Lindsey Graham said it is “too soon to know” if Iran has renounced its nuclear ambitions that follow US strikes against key nuclear facilities in the country, but Trump’s ally said he believes that he is still the “desire” of the regime to make a nuclear weapon.

On Friday, President Donald Trump seemed to rule out the potential that they will resume his enrichment program, telling journalists: “The last thing they are thinking about at this time is enriched uranium.”

Pressing by the co-presenter of “This Week” Jonathan Karl about those comments and if Iran has renounced his “ambitions to be a nuclear energy,” said Graham, “too soon to say. I agree that the three sites were erased.”

But, the South Carolina Republican argued that while they will “end with that enrichment program”, the regime “has not finished wanting to destroy Israel or try to chase us.”

“Operation Midnight Hammer was a tremendous military success. The program returned, I think, a couple of years,” said Graham. “But the question for the world, does the regime still want to make a nuclear weapon? The answer is yes. Do you still want to destroy Israel and come after us? The answer is yes. Until I change, we have to keep our … we are in trouble.”

Trump has suggested that there may be a meeting with the Iranians at some point soon. Graham said he believes that Iran must publicly affirm Israel’s sovereignty before this meeting occurs.

“Here is the requirement of sitting and talking: they have to say, for the first time, the Iranian regime, ‘we recognize Israel’s right to exist. We do not like the State, we do not like what they do, but we recognize that Israel has the right to exist as a people’,” said Graham. “If you can’t say that, you will never get a worthwhile treatment. So before sitting with the Iranians, make them say publicly for the first time, ‘Israel has the right to exist’, and they can’t say that, that tells you everything you need to know about who you are trying.”

Here are more prominent aspects of Graham’s interview:

Graham says Trump told him “it’s time to move” in the draft Sanctions Law of Russia

Graham: So what does this bill do? If you are buying Russia products and is not helping Ukraine, then there is a 500% tariff for your products to reach the United States. India and China buy 70% Putin’s oil. They keep their war machine. My bill has 84 copatrochinters. It would allow the president to put tariffs to China and India and other countries, to stop them, prevent them from supporting the Putin war machine, to take it to the table for the first time yesterday, the president told me, he told me, he told me, the president, he told me, he told me, the president, he told me, the president.

Karl: You were playing golf with him.

Graham: Yes, I was playing golf with him. He says: “It’s time to move, move his bill.” “There is an exemption in the bill, Mr. President, is in charge of whether or not it must be implemented.” But we are going to give President Trump a tool in the toolbox that he does not have today. After July, we will approve a bill that would allow the President –

Karl: And will you sign it?

Graham: Yes, I think we are in good shape, but he has an exemption. It depends on him how to impose it, but we are trying to put Putin at the table.

On the decision of the Supreme Court on precautionary measures: “The purchase of judge must stop.”

Graham: Then, the ruling was that a single judge cannot stop the policy for the whole country, which is beyond the mandate of a judge of the Federal District Court. You still have a judicial review, but you have to climb to the chain. A single judge cannot stop a program for the whole country. And that is good, because people were going to judge shopping. The right would be judged –

Karl: I mean, you were going to look for judges on the day.

Graham: Everyone is going to buy judges!

Karl: I’m old enough to remember when they were in favor of the court order against Dapa (deferred action for parents of American and legal permanent residents) under Obama.

Graham: Completely! I mean, and I am here to say that the purchase of judges must stop. We need to have a system in which if you are going to order the policy for the nation, it is done at a higher level than a single judge for the left or right.

About Trump attacking fellow Republican senator Thom Tillis

Karl: The president was a diatribe against Tillis last night, he said he will meet with the primary challengers, he said he is great in all this. What are you doing with that? Is it great?

Graham: I have been at the receiving end of that (laughs).

Karl: Yes, you have it.

Graham: Run hard and can forgive. We are trying to do difficult things that should be done and should. We have a debt of $ 37 billion. Medicaid has grown 50% in five years. He is about to take care of Medicare. What we have done [in this bill] 6% growth is limited for two years, 4% after that, so Medicaid is not reduced.