Sen. Graham calls on Trump to do more against Iran
WASHINGTON DC, United States (Kurdistan 24) – As anti-government protests in Iran continued for a fourth straight day, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) called on President Donald Trump to take additional action against the Iranian regime.
Speaking on the Sunday talk show, Face the Nation, Graham said, “Trump is tweeting very sympathetically to the Iranian people,” but added, “You can’t just tweet here.”
Since the protests began on Thursday, Trump has expressed his support in five messages.
On Saturday, Trump tweeted two brief clips of his speech to the UN General Assembly last September, in which he said, “The entire world understands that the good people of Iran want change, and, other than the vast military power of the United States, that Iran’s people are what their leaders fear the most.”
Oppressive regimes cannot endure forever, and the day will come when the Iranian people will face a choice. The world is watching! pic.twitter.com/kvv1uAqcZ9
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 30, 2017
On Sunday, in two more tweets, Trump added, “The people are finally getting wise as to how their money and wealth is being stolen and squandered on terrorism. Looks like they will not take it any longer. The USA is watching very closely for human rights violations.”
Representative Will Hurd (R-Texas), who also spoke on Face the Nation, echoed Graham and Trump.
Hurd explained that for nearly ten years, he had served as an undercover officer in the CIA.
“Iran is a real threat to the rest of the world,” Hurd said.
“We need to make sure that we’re showing the rest of the world what’s really happening in Iran because the Iranian government is trying to shut down the internet. They’re trying to stop people from talking.”
Zalmay Khalilzad, ambassador to Iraq and Afghanistan under former President George W. Bush, asked in a tweet Sunday if the current protests “have the potential to become bigger” than the 2009 Green Revolution.
“Yes,” he answered. The Green Revolution “was limited to wealthy urban Persians,” Khalizad wrote. “The current crisis is more nation-wide and is driven by the poor and angry middle class.”
Col. Norvell DeAtkine (US Army, Ret) who long taught Middle East affairs at Ft. Bragg, suggested that in addition to Trump’s general warning about human rights violations, the US should focus on promoting minority rights in Iran.
Iran is a multi-ethnic empire. About forty percent of its population is not Persian, and the minorities typically inhabit compact territories on the periphery, with their own language and cultural traditions.
In addition to Kurds, they include Arabs, Azeris, Baluch, and Lurs.
Obliging the Iranian regime to respect cultural freedoms for minorities within its borders would dampen Tehran’s sectarian-based expansionism, DeAtkine suggested.
In October, Sen. Graham issued a statement supporting Iraq’s Kurds against the assault that Baghdad launched then.
“I’m very concerned about ongoing developments in Iraq regarding reports that the Iraqi military and Shia militias are advancing on Kurdish interests around Kirkuk,” his statement read.
“This has the potential to further destabilize the region and expand the war in Iraq, all of which strengthens the hand of Iran,” Graham warned.
Graham is a close associate of Sen. John McCain, who was diagnosed with brain cancer earlier this year.
McCain has long been a champion of the Kurds. Graham told Face the Nation that McCain is now undergoing treatment, but “he's coming back in January. We need his voice now more than ever.”
Editing by Nadia Riva