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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