By Sabiu Abdullahi
A senior United States senator has suggested that the ongoing war against Iran could bring major economic benefits if the current Iranian government collapses.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who has long supported military intervention abroad, made the remarks during an interview with Fox News on Sunday. He said it would be worthwhile for Washington to invest resources in removing Iran’s leadership.
“When this regime goes down, we are going to have a new Middle East, and we are going [to] make a tonne of money,” Graham said.
The veteran lawmaker has been one of the most outspoken supporters of the US-Israel war against Iran under President Donald Trump’s administration. He also appeared to link recent US actions abroad to control over global oil supplies.
“Venezuela and Iran have 31 percent of the world’s oil reserves. We’re going to have a partnership with 31 percent of the known reserves. This is China’s nightmare. This is a good investment,” he said.
Iran strongly rejected the claims and accused Washington of attempting to divide the country in order to control its natural resources.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the United States had a clear plan to weaken the country and take over its oil wealth.
“Their design is clear, their enterprise is quite obvious – they aim at partitioning our country to take illegal possession of our oil riches,” he said. “Their objective is to violate our sovereignty, defeat our people and undermine our humanity.”
Graham also warned that US and Israeli attacks on Iran could intensify in the coming weeks. He issued a strong warning to Tehran over threats to shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz.
The senator said the US was ready to escalate military pressure.
The Trump administration has defended the strikes against Iran. President Trump said the Iranian government posed a serious danger to Americans.
“An Iranian regime armed with long-range missiles and nuclear weapons would be a dire threat to every American,” Trump said on March 2.
However, some analysts and legal experts have questioned the justification for the military action. They said the claim that Iran posed an immediate threat lacks legal backing under international law.
The conflict has also affected the global economy. Oil prices have risen above 100 dollars per barrel since the fighting began. Iranian missile and drone attacks have targeted Gulf countries that host US military bases. These include Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain. The strikes have disrupted oil and gas production and forced several countries in the region to close their airspace.
Reports also show that Graham held several meetings with Israeli officials before the war began. He said he had discussions with members of Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad.
“They’ll tell me things our own government won’t tell me,” Graham said.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the senator also spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visits. The report said Graham advised Netanyahu on how to persuade President Trump to support military action.
Netanyahu later presented intelligence information to Trump that helped convince him to approve the joint attacks on Iran, the senator said.
Israel has repeatedly claimed that Iran intends to develop nuclear weapons. Tehran denies the accusation and insists its nuclear programme is designed for civilian purposes.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has also said there is currently no evidence of a systematic programme by Iran to produce nuclear weapons.
Graham has supported several US military operations in the Middle East during the past two decades. These include the 2003 invasion of Iraq, as well as interventions in Syria and Libya.
During the interview, he also urged Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to join the fight against Iran.
“Yeah. I want them to get into the fight. We sell them weapons. Iran is striking their country; they have good capability,” he said.
Graham’s remarks also suggested that US attention could shift to Cuba in the future.
“You see this hat? ‘Free Cuba.’ Stay tuned. The liberation of Cuba is upon us. We’re marching through the world. We’re clearing out the bad guys. Cuba is next.”
