Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Tuesday urged Israel to consider launching direct strikes on Iran�s oil infrastructure and to continue hammering Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen, warning Tehran of grave consequences for its role in regional escalation.

The senator�s call came after Israeli warplanes pounded the port city of Hudaydah and the Saana International Airport in Yemen, retaliating for a brazen Houthi ballistic missile strike that landed dangerously close to Israel�s main international gateway, Ben Gurion Airport, injuring six.

�To my friends in Israel, do what you have to do to protect your airspace and your people,� Graham posted on X. �It is long past time to consider hitting Iran hard. It wouldn�t take much to put Iran out of the oil business.�

Graham�s comments followed a dramatic announcement from President Donald Trump earlier Tuesday, declaring that the United States would suspend its bombing campaign on the Houthis. Trump said the group had �agreed to stop interrupting important shipping lanes in the Middle East� and had requested an end to U.S. airstrikes during a direct appeal Monday night.

�They said please don�t bomb us anymore, and we�re not going to attack your ships,� Trump told reporters. �I will accept their word, and we are going to stop the bombing of the Houthis effective immediately.�

Graham welcomed the news that American vessels were no longer in immediate danger but warned that Tehran�s continued support for Houthi aggression�particularly against Israel�would not go unanswered.

�As to the Houthis continuing to attack Israel�they do so at Iran�s own peril,� Graham said. �Without Iran, the Houthis do not possess the capability to attack America, international shipping or Israel.�

The senator�s warning is part of a broader campaign he�s waged against Iran�s regional ambitions. He has repeatedly urged the Trump administration to take a harder line on Tehran, especially as diplomatic efforts to rein in its nuclear program gain traction.

�There is zero chance that Ayatollah Khamenei is going to agree to a deal that stops him from building a nuclear weapon,� Graham told Fox News� Brian Kilmeade in March. �We need to face that reality and act accordingly.�

In February, Graham led a bipartisan Senate delegation to Israel, where he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and emphasized the threat posed by a nuclear-armed Iran.

�Iran with a nuke is a nightmare for the Jewish state,� Graham said at the time. �It�s a nightmare for the world because it will trigger a nuclear arms race across the region.�

Graham also accused Ayatollah Khamenei of being �hell-bent on three things: purifying Islam in their own image, destroying the Jewish state, and driving every Westerner out of the Middle East.�

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