WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today made this statement on meeting with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen, and President Alexander Stubb in Finland.

“I had very productive meetings with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen, and President Alexander Stubb regarding Finland’s role in NATO and future collaborations that will be mutually beneficial to both of our nations.

“President Stubb is also a Furman University graduate who played on the golf team. What more could you want in an ally?

“As one of the newest members of NATO, Finland brings a lot to the table. Finland is one of the most forward-leaning countries on AI and quantum computing research and development, and they have some of the largest shipyards in the world. The future of our economy and warfare itself will be determined by AI development, and Finland is way ahead of the game. There is no doubt their membership to NATO further strengthens the alliance.  

“The United States and our NATO allies need to build bigger naval forces to provide the deterrence that has been lost throughout the world, and in collaboration with Finland, we will greatly accelerate that endeavor.

“We are truly lucky to have Finland as a new NATO member, and I look forward to this relationship growing.”

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Three Ways to Confront Iran

By Senator Lindsey Graham

The Wall Street Journal

August 5, 2024

https://www.wsj.com/articles/three-ways-to-confront-iran-sanctions-tariffs-oil-gas-hezbollah-terrorism-nuclear-weapons-0007754d?mod=commentary_article_pos3

Iran and its proxies have intensified their attacks on Israel and on U.S. interests in the Middle East, beginning with Hamas’s barbaric incursion of Oct. 7. Much of the blame belongs to the Biden-Harris administration for deciding not to enforce sanctions against Tehran. When President Trump left office, Iran was exporting 300,000 barrels of oil a day. By October 2023, that figure was up to 1.4 million barrels a day. That generates money to fund Iran’s top export: terrorism. 

For too long, the U.S. has at best played defense when it comes to Iran. It’s time to go on offense. To that end, I have introduced a series of bills:

I call my first proposal the terrorism tariff. If a nation buys oil or gas from Iran, the U.S. would levy a tariff on all imports from that country. By buying cheap Iranian oil, China, India and others are enriching the ayatollahs, cheating the market, and blatantly violating sanctions. My proposal would make these countries choose between cheap Iranian oil and normal business with the U.S. This idea originated after many discussions with Mr. Trump, who has used tariffs with great effect to change bad behavior.

The second proposal is a resolution declaring that any Hezbollah attack on Israel is an Iranian attack on Israel. This was the position President John F. Kennedy took in the Cuban Missile Crisis—any attack emanating from Cuba would be considered an attack by the Soviet Union on the U.S.

Hezbollah is getting more provocative, and the U.S. and Israel need to recognize that the problem doesn’t begin in Lebanon. Iranian oil refineries should be on the target list if Hezbollah or other Iranian proxies continue to attack Israel. If Iran’s rulers believe we are serious about destroying or diminishing their capability to refine oil, their behavior will change.

My third proposal lays out definitive red lines for Iran’s nuclear program. If Iran crosses these lines, the U.S. would be authorized to use military force against Iran. Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons is its most potent threat. The ayatollahs continue to deny it, but when they chant “death to Israel” and “death to America,” they mean it—and we should take them seriously.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said recently that Iran has narrowed its nuclear breakout time—how long it would take to produce enough weapons-grade uranium to make a bomb—to a week or two. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence published an assessment that found “Iran continues to increase the size of its uranium stockpile, increase its enrichment capacity, and develop, manufacture, and operate advanced centrifuges. Tehran has the infrastructure and experience to quickly produce weapons-grade uranium at multiple facilities, if it chooses to do so.” I encourage every American to read that report, and I urge my congressional colleagues to read the classified version. It will put this threat into chilling perspective.

Under my proposal, if it is determined that Iran holds uranium enriched to weapons-grade level, possesses a nuclear warhead, or has obtained a delivery vehicle capable of carrying a nuclear warhead that threatens the national security interests of the U.S., then the president would be authorized to take military action.

It is hard to imagine a worse disaster for the world than if the ayatollahs acquire nuclear capability. It would throw the Middle East into a nuclear arms race and put us all on the road to Armageddon.

Until the Iranians understand what they can’t do, they will continue to sow chaos. We must define red lines for Iran and enforce them.

The only thing the Iranian regime will respect is strength. The Biden-Harris administration has been profoundly weak, and its posture toward Iran has been a catastrophic failure. Israel isn’t alone in paying the price.

We live in dangerous times. The best way to prevent further bloodshed and upheaval in the Middle East and protect America is to stand up to the Iranian regime. Together, these three legislative proposals will send an unambiguous message to Iran that the old way of doing business is over.

Mr. Graham, a Republican, is a U.S. senator from South Carolina.

Appeared in the August 6, 2024, print edition as 'Three Ways to Confront Iran'.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island) today introduced a bill to strengthen the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) ability to investigate and prosecute trade-related crimes.

Chinese companies frequently violate U.S. trade laws by committing crimes including fraud, duty evasion, and avoiding customs checks at ports. These actions benefit the Chinese Communist Party’s monopolistic economy and have a detrimental effect on U.S. companies and workers. The Protecting American Industry and Labor from International Trade Crimes Act combats these crimes by directing DOJ to establish a new structure for prosecuting international trade crimes.

“The Chinese Communist Party and other bad actors exploit U.S. trade laws at the expense of American companies and workers,” said Senator Graham. “I’m glad to work with my colleagues on legislation to increase DOJ’s ability to investigate and prosecute these crimes.”

“International kleptocrats, smugglers, and shady front companies exploit American trade laws designed to protect workers, companies, and consumers,” said Senator Whitehouse.  “Our bipartisan legislation will bolster the Department of Justice’s capacity to pursue criminal cases and hold violators accountable for their efforts to undermine American businesses.”

“We applaud Senator Graham and Senator Whitehouse for their leadership on introducing the Protecting American Industry and Labor from International Trade Crimes Act, companion legislation that would create a formal structure within the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division to aggressively combat widespread trade fraud that is adversely impacting American manufacturers. It is imperative that our government have the necessary tools to prosecute a range of trade crimes, including products made with forced labor that are evading the U.S. ban on such imports, fraudulent rules of origin claims under our free trade agreements, evasion of duties through abuse of the de minimis loophole, and myriad other predatory practices. This legislation is designed to do just that, by creating new federal tools and resources for DOJ to urgently address the pervasive trade crimes impacting our industry and ensuring those facilitating these crimes will be held accountable,” said National Council of Textile Organizations President and CEO Kim Glas.

Specifically, this bill:

• Establishes a new task force or similar structure within the DOJ’s Criminal Division to investigate and prosecute trade-related crimes.
• Enhances nationwide responses to trade-related offenses by providing training and technical assistance to other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, expanding investigations and prosecutions, and allowing for parallel criminal and civil enforcement actions.
• Requires the Attorney General to submit an annual report to Congress assessing the DOJ’s efforts, statistics on trade-related crimes, and fund utilization.
• Authorizes $20,000,000 for FY 2025 to support these efforts with appropriate guardrails.

The bill has been cosponsored by U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). A companion bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives by U.S. Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa-02) and Select Committee on the Chinese Community Party Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL).

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WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) at the Senate Appropriations Committee markup today criticized the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for their ties to Hamas and other terrorist organizations that operate in Gaza. Intelligence reports and media reports have found that UNRWA employees participated in the October 7 attack on Israel. Additionally, Hamas and other terrorist groups use UNRWA offices and schools to store weapons and act as command centers.  

• GRAHAM: “UNRWA has blood on its hands. They’re part of the problem, not the solution. I have no desire, zero desire, to help UNRWA. You can’t convince me they’ve changed. Nothing’s changed that I know of… So, I want to make sure we don’t give a dime to this organization anytime soon.” https://youtu.be/eb6wgbgZOwA?si=vgsvV2atY0TNSmRx&t=551

• GRAHAM: “…How much more evidence do we need to have before we say UNRWA is not a good deal for the American taxpayer? It’s not a good deal for stability in the region.” https://youtu.be/eb6wgbgZOwA?si=LzztIJQ78DCffZgj&t=269

• GRAHAM: “I have no apologies to anybody for saying UNRWA should be defunded until it is fundamentally changed.” https://youtu.be/eb6wgbgZOwA?si=v8R7uD9c4iPTTd_N&t=312

Click here to watch Graham’s full remarks

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