{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.lgraham.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=B43ACAFA-38CC-45C9-BA48-38F923DBA41A", "ICYMI: Three Ways to Confront Iran", "2024-08-06", "2024", "2024-08", "Republican", "Senate", "SC", "Lindsey Graham", "G000359", "www.lgraham.senate.gov", "graham", "https://www.lgraham.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases", "scraper", "Three Ways to Confront Iran\n\nBy Senator Lindsey Graham\n\nThe Wall Street Journal\n\nAugust 5, 2024\n\nhttps://www.wsj.com/articles/three-ways-to-confront-iran-sanctions-tariffs-oil-gas-hezbollah-terrorism-nuclear-weapons-0007754d?mod=commentary_article_pos3\n\nIran and its proxies have intensified their attacks on Israel and on U.S. interests in the Middle East, beginning with Hamas\u2019s 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\u2019s top export: terrorism.\n\nFor too long, the U.S. has at best played defense when it comes to Iran. It\u2019s time to go on offense. To that end, I have introduced a series of bills:\n\nI 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.\n\nThe 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\u2014any attack emanating from Cuba would be considered an attack by the Soviet Union on the U.S.\n\nHezbollah is getting more provocative, and the U.S. and Israel need to recognize that the problem doesn\u2019t begin in Lebanon. Iranian oil refineries should be on the target list if Hezbollah or other Iranian proxies continue to attack Israel. If Iran\u2019s rulers believe we are serious about destroying or diminishing their capability to refine oil, their behavior will change.\n\nMy third proposal lays out definitive red lines for Iran\u2019s nuclear program. If Iran crosses these lines, the U.S. would be authorized to use military force against Iran. Iran\u2019s pursuit of nuclear weapons is its most potent threat. The ayatollahs continue to deny it, but when they chant \u201cdeath to Israel\u201d and \u201cdeath to America,\u201d they mean it\u2014and we should take them seriously.\n\nSecretary of State Antony Blinken said recently that Iran has narrowed its nuclear breakout time\u2014how long it would take to produce enough weapons-grade uranium to make a bomb\u2014to a week or two. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence published an assessment that found \u201cIran 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.\u201d 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.\n\nUnder 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.\n\nIt 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.\n\nUntil the Iranians understand what they can\u2019t do, they will continue to sow chaos. We must define red lines for Iran and enforce them.\n\nThe 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\u2019t alone in paying the price.\n\nWe 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.\n\nMr. Graham, a Republican, is a U.S. senator from South Carolina.\n\nAppeared in the August 6, 2024, print edition as 'Three Ways to Confront Iran'.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:41:32Z"]], "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=B43ACAFA-38CC-45C9-BA48-38F923DBA41A"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7226501367986202, "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"}