US senator urges Trump to ignore advisers urging restraint on Iran strike - Axios
US Senator Lindsey Graham is urging President Donald Trump to move forward with military action against Iran, warning against advisers counseling restraint as the White House weighs its options, Axios reported.
Graham told Axios that “several people” around the president are advising him not to bomb Iran, but said such voices underestimate the risks of inaction.
“I understand concerns about major military operations in the Middle East given past entanglements. However, the voices who counsel against getting entangled seem to ignore the consequences of letting evil go unchecked,” Graham was quoted as saying.
The report comes as two US aircraft carriers and hundreds of warplanes are positioned in the region and Trump has been presented with military options that include targeting Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his son, according to Axios.
Senior advisers told the outlet the president has not yet made a final decision.
Graham, who recently visited Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, said he believes there is an opportunity “to bring about historic change” in Iran, but acknowledged that opposition to military action within Trump’s circle appears to be growing.
"But it's increasingly clear to me that voices opposing entanglement and the risk associated with decisive action are getting louder. Time will tell as to how this plays out."
Axios reported that some of Trump’s advisers are urging him to delay strikes and instead use the military buildup as leverage to extract concessions from Tehran.
