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Senator Lindsey Graham has voiced strong criticism regarding President Biden’s response to recent drone strikes attributed to Iranian-backed forces, emphasizing a perceived lack of deterrence and protection for American troops.

During an appearance on “Fox News Sunday,” Senator Graham said, “If the goal is to deter Iran, you’re failing miserably. If the goal is to protect American troops, you’re not achieving your goal.” He argued that the administration’s approach, which included giving advance notice of counter-strikes, effectively neutralized only the uninformed and failed to intimidate Iran.

Graham critiqued the strategy’s effectiveness, suggesting that it conveyed weakness rather than strength to Iran. He urged a shift in policy, advocating for actions that would significantly impact Iran financially or target its leadership directly. “We gave them a weeks notice, so if there’s another round of strikes coming, I hope they really will hurt Iran in their pocketbook or their leadership because if you don’t, nothing changes,” Graham added.

Another view:
Defending the administration’s decisions, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan highlighted the planned and deliberate nature of the US response. “The president made clear before we were attacked at Tower 22 in Jordan, before our brave services members were tragically killed, that if we were attacked, we would respond,” Sullivan told NBC News’s “Meet the Press.” He emphasized that Iran was aware of the potential US retaliation and that the strikes were executed as part of a strategic plan.