AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The American newspaper The Wall Street Journal, in a special report, announced that unreleased footage from a documentary film about American Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has revealed unprecedented dimensions of his role in attempting to push the United States toward military confrontation with Iran. Footage that indicates years of extensive political and diplomatic maneuvering, direct communication with Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, and efforts to persuade Washington to escalate the war and overthrow Iran's regime.
In a special report by Josh Dawsey, the newspaper wrote that Alex Holder, the director of this documentary, had been accompanying Graham since 2023 and captured hundreds of hours of his political activities, before the senator passed away earlier this month.
The footage shows that Graham had made Iran the central focus of his political activities, to the extent that at times he even advocated for more aggressive military actions than Netanyahu himself preferred.
The footage also captures a telephone conversation between Graham and Netanyahu in March of last year, when the senator was trying to persuade Trump to also participate in attacks on Hezbollah positions in Lebanon simultaneously with the war against Iran.
However, Netanyahu asked him to hold back and emphasized that the priority should remain Iran, and that expanding the war at that juncture might provoke a widespread reaction from Hezbollah, which he said would not serve the Zionist regime's interests.
I Almost Cried with Joy
The report says that Graham followed Netanyahu's advice, considering it a wise perspective, but the recorded files also reveal his enthusiasm for expanding the scope of the conflict. Graham had emphasized in his conversation with Netanyahu that he had managed to secure support from both Republicans and Democrats for this path.
The footage also shows the close relationship between Graham and Trump. After the U.S. attacks on Iran began, the senator is seen saying with great joy, "I almost cried with joy."
He also adds that the U.S. President told him in a phone call that this military operation was the best thing he had ever done, and that Trump "loves blowing things up." A phrase that, according to The Wall Street Journal, reflects the nature of private conversations between the two.
The recorded files also show that Graham sometimes disagreed with some of Trump's close associates on how to manage the Iran file.
In a conversation with Jake Sullivan, the former U.S. National Security Advisor, he said that Marco Rubio, the U.S. Secretary of State, was the most suitable person to manage the negotiations. Graham also believed that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had conflicts of interest. An assessment that the White House has denied.
Inaccurate Assessments of the War Against Iran
The Wall Street Journal adds that Graham believed Iran's regime would lose control of major cities within a few weeks. But subsequent developments showed that this assessment was not accurate.
He also expressed dissatisfaction with the hesitation of some Republicans to publicly defend the war against Iran, and believed that the U.S. administration had not made enough effort to introduce and justify the war to the public.
In contrast, the footage indicates increasing tension between Graham and Trump after the signing of a preliminary agreement with Iran. The senator believed that the U.S. President was retreating from his tough approach.
In one of his last video appearances, Graham said he would personally go to Trump to persuade him not to miss this opportunity.
A Politician Who Used His Direct Connections
The report says that the documentary film, provisionally titled "The Lindsey Game," does not merely provide a narrative about the war against Iran, but paints a picture of a politician who had turned personal influence and direct connections with world leaders into a tool for influencing U.S. foreign policy.
Graham's supporters believe he played a pivotal role in national security files, but his critics believe that his constant efforts to remain at the center of developments led him to make political and moral compromises in some cases, especially in his fluctuating relationship with Trump.
Trump, the same person whom Graham at one point considered a danger to America, but later referred to him as the greatest president in American history.
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