{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.lgraham.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=B086D340-99B9-4B9D-8E6D-0395E7EC74A2", "ICYMI: Senator Lindsey Graham: Iran is Facing a Berlin Wall Moment \u2014 History is Watching Us Now", "2026-02-26", "2026", "2026-02", "Republican", "Senate", "SC", "Lindsey Graham", "G000359", "www.lgraham.senate.gov", "graham", "https://www.lgraham.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases", "scraper", "Iran is facing a Berlin Wall moment \u2014 history is watching us now\n\nBy Senator Lindsey Graham\n\nFox News\n\nFebruary 26, 2026\n\nhttps://www.foxnews.com/opinion/sen-lindsey-graham-iran-facing-berlin-wall-moment-history-watching-us-now\n\nOver the past few weeks, there has been great speculation regarding the growing unrest in Iran and what action, if any, the United States will take in response. One fact that remains clear is that the Iranian regime finds itself at its weakest point since 1979. As such, the world has reached a pivotal crossroad \u2014 one that will define the course of history for generations.\n\nFirst, let\u2019s examine how we got to this point. After the attacks of October 7, Israel was determined to give new meaning to the phrase \u201cNever Again\u201d and has relentlessly gone after the terrorist networks that perpetrated the attack. With assistance from the United States, they tremendously degraded not only the nuclear capability, but also the missile capability and general military readiness of Iran. It is ironic to me that one of the main reasons Iran is so crippled stems from October 7, yet it serves as a silver lining that has sprung from one of the greatest atrocities in modern history, nonetheless.\n\nThe second major factor is that the people in Iran have risen up and taken to the streets by the millions. Daily life is miserable, and with no viable economic growth potential, the future remains hopeless as long as the ayatollah stays in power. The bravery of the protesters, combined with the military thrashing given by Israel and the United States, has placed this regime at a tipping point.\n\nThe next question, arguably most important, is where do we go from here. President Donald Trump has two lines in the water: a diplomatic line and a military line. While diplomatic negotiations are always worth pursuing within reason, my ultimate hope is that regime change will be achieved. This will come about in one of two ways: either the current regime changes its ways \u2014 which I find unlikely \u2014 or the Iranian people will take over once the regime falls.\n\nTo those who resist regime change: why do you wish to see this regime continue as it is? The ayatollah and his henchmen slaughter people for protesting, they beat young women to death for wearing their headscarves improperly, and they have overseen the largest state sponsor of terrorism for decades. Who wants that to continue? I certainly don\u2019t, nor do the Iranian people. The people are the ones demanding regime change, and we should stand behind them.\n\nWhen asked by the world media what the protesters in Iran should do, President Trump boldly said, \u201cKeep protesting. Help is on the way.\u201d I believe that to be the correct statement, and it will be historical in nature if the regime collapses.\n\nTrump\u2019s support for the protesters, in conjunction with America\u2019s display of strength in Operation Midnight Hammer, has created the largest opportunity for peace and prosperity in the Mideast in over 1,000 years. If this regime is replaced, normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel becomes possible again. The people of Iran will chart their own destiny, and terrorist networks across the region, such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis will atrophy even further. My trip last week to Israel, the UAE and Saudi Arabia \u2014 three states facing threats from Iran and its proxies \u2014 reaffirmed to me that each of these possibilities are not only attainable, but would be extremely beneficial to the United States and our allies.\n\nOn the other hand, we must remember who we will be forced to reconcile with if the regime holds. At the helm is the ayatollah, a religious zealot who orchestrated an assassination attempt on President Trump\u2019s life. When he chants death to America and death to all the Jews, he means what he says. If the ayatollah remains in charge after all this bluster, I fear the problems that will arise will haunt the region for decades and America even further.\n\nWith the fate of millions at stake, I am praying for President Trump as he makes one of the most consequential decisions any president can make. I know President Trump to be a man of his word. He is reluctant to get entangled in wars with no end, yet unafraid to use force.\n\nIt is my strong view that history is watching every move we make. If we follow through by sending help to the protesters risking their lives, we will have a 21st Century Berlin Wall moment. Ronald Reagan\u2019s determination to stand up to communism paid dividends for the entire world when the Soviet Union crumbled under its own weight. What followed was a new birth of freedom around the globe, liberating millions who knew nothing but oppression.\n\nIf the ayatollah falls, it will set in motion a similar sequence of events across the Middle East. All the terrorist proxies will be left hanging, the Abraham Accords will expand exponentially, the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel will be back on the front burner, and the Iranian people will come to know what all human beings desire most: freedom. The ripple effects of this regime\u2019s destruction will bring forth tremendous, positive change across the region that will echo across the world.\n\nOnly time will tell what will happen next. For now, we must be smart, and we must be bold.\n\n####", 1, "2026-04-02T05:33:17Z", "2026-04-02T05:34:59Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.lgraham.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=B086D340-99B9-4B9D-8E6D-0395E7EC74A2"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.2973360028117895, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}