On Israel Visit, US Sen. Graham Claims Iran Close to Nuclear 'Break Out' Amid JCPOA Talks

As negotiations on reviving the Iran nuclear deal seem to be edging closer, some very anti-Iran figures and opponents of the deal in Washington have increased their vocal criticisms of the Islamic Republic.

On Monday, US Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) met with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in Jerusalem, where they discussed security issues. He also met with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, Defence Minister Benny Gantz, and representatives from the Mossad intelligence agency, who briefed the US senator on intelligence relating to Iran, The Times of Israel reported.

Graham has no administration appointment or role in the Senate that would necessitate such a trip.

"I mentioned the idea of formalising a mutual defence agreement, in very limited circumstances that would involve existential threats to the Jewish state", Graham told reporters at a press conference after.

Graham spoke on a wide variety of topics, including Ukraine and Taiwan, saying the two places are at "important, consequential moments in history".

"But the one we're not talking about enough is even more consequential: that the Iranians break out and acquire nuclear capability", Graham said, calling it "the game-changer of all game-changers".

"Russia and China are rational actors, even though their behaviour is thuggish", the US senator added. "Iran is a theocracy motivated by religion that compels them to purify their faith and have the world submit. The Nazis wanted a master race, and the Iranians want a master religion. People like that cannot be ignored".

Graham said that if Iran did acquire a nuclear weapon, it would force rival Arab states to do so, many of which are scarcely any friendlier with Israel.

"I guarantee you the Jewish people can't live that way. One Holocaust was enough. There will be war. Why can't Iran have nuclear weapons? Because Israelis say, 'Never again'", Graham said, invoking a slogan used to denounce the Nazis' mass Judeocide in the 1930s and 40s.

Although the Iranian monarchy was very close to both Israel and the United States, the 1979 Islamic Revolution had very strong nationalist overtones and disagreed sharply with the existence of a Jewish-only state in the Middle East, severing relations with Israel and declaring its support for the Palestinians, Hezbollah, and other groups opposing Israel. Iranian leaders have strongly denounced Israel, calling for it to be erased from the map - although they have denied charges of advocating genocide or of being anti-Semitic, saying their issue is with Zionism, not Judaism.

Iran has denied it has a nuclear weapons programme, which the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regulatory group has verified has not existed for nearly two decades. In 2010, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's top political and religious leader, issued a legal ruling finding the use of nuclear weapons and all weapons of mass destruction to be against the teachings of Islam.

In the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal, Iran formally renounced nuclear weapons in exchange for the removal of international economic sanctions. However, the US unilaterally pulled out of the deal three years later, with then-US President Donald Trump accusing Iran of secretly violating the deal and pursuing nuclear weapons again.

Iran has backed off the agreements it made in the JCPOA about keeping only small amounts of low-purity uranium-235, slowly increasing the quality and quantity of refined uranium it produces as a way of pressuring Washington to return to the deal. They have pledged not to produce uranium of more than 60% U-235, which nuclear weapons designers say is insufficient to construct a nuclear weapon with, and even Israeli military intelligence has conceded in recent months that there are no signs Iran is approaching a so-called "breakout" moment, when nuclear weapon construction would accelerate quickly.

When US President Joe Biden took office in early 2021, he opened negotiations with Iran to revive the deal, believing it was the best way to keep Iran's nuclear programme under control. Tel Aviv, which has never liked the JCPOA and approved of Trump's withdrawal from it, has cautiously approved of the talks, all the while emphasising it was preparing for a "Plan B" if the talks fail - a solo military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities.

Graham has also been strongly critical, claiming the Iranians were "playing President Biden like a fiddle" and that a war between Israel and Iran has become more likely than ever.

However, those talks, presently in their eighth round and being conducted through intermediaries in Vienna, Austria, seem to be nearing a conclusion. Last week, the Biden administration issued a sanctions waiver for international cooperation with Iran on the country's civil nuclear programme, which includes partnerships to operate or refurbish several nuclear power plants in the country.