Foreign policy
Graham supported an interventionist foreign policy. In 2002, he voted for the Iraq Resolution, which authorized military action against Iraq. He also supported the invasion of Iraq. Graham and senators John McCain and Joe Lieberman, who were frequently dubbed "the three amigos", traveled widely, pushing for United States military intervention, particularly after the September 11 attacks. Their influence reached its zenith in 2007 as President George W. Bush advocated for his surge strategy in Iraq and then diminished shortly before Lieberman retired from the Senate in 2013. Kelly Ayotte, who joined the Senate in 2011, was considered Lieberman's replacement in the group.
Graham was a frequent critic of the foreign policy of the Barack Obama administration. He threatened to derail the confirmation of Obama's nominee for United States secretary of defense, Republican former senator Chuck Hagel, a centrist. Graham remarked that Hagel "would be the most antagonistic secretary of defense towards the state of Israel in our nation's history."
On February 28, 2013, Graham criticized Obama and both political parties on the Senate floor for allowing the budget reduction to occur with "two-thirds of the budget" exempt from reductions and said the impact on the Department of Defense would create a "hollow military" that "invites aggression".
Graham suggested that the U.S. should stay in Afghanistan permanently, claiming that this would benefit both nations, as the U.S. would maintain a clear picture of what was happening in the region, and Afghan security forces would have a military advantage that would ensure Afghanistan never fell back into the hands of the Taliban. He further claimed that Afghan leaders accepted this long-term U.S. military presence since it benefited them, but that Iran and some of its allies opposed it, which was considered a debatable claim.
Graham vehemently opposed President Joe Biden's decision to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan, originally agreed to by the first Trump administration. He predicted that the decision would put the U.S. in danger and could cause "another 9/11". Soon after the withdrawal started, the Taliban launched an offensive against the Afghan government, quickly advancing in front of the collapsing Afghan Armed Forces. On July 8, 2021, Graham called Biden's decision a "disaster in the making".
On November 6, 2010, Graham called for a preemptive military strike to weaken the government of Iran. In 2011, he supported a continuing U.S. military presence in Iraq, saying, "If we're not smart enough to work with the Iraqis to have 10,000 to 15,000 American troops in Iraq in 2012, Iraq could go to hell."
On an episode of Fox and Friends, Graham joked that it would be "terrible" if a DNA test showed he had Iranian ancestry. Co-host Brian Kilmeade responded, "Well, they have great people, just bad leaders," and Graham agreed. The president of the National Iranian American Council and a number of high-profile Iranian-Americans criticized Graham's comments. Graham has never apologized for his comments.
During the Gaza war, Graham called for the U.S. to threaten Iran's oil infrastructure if the conflict escalated. In a CNN interview, he called for the U.S. and Israel to bomb Iran even if it was not involved in Hamas's attack on Israel. He also said the U.S. would win a war with Iran if it broke out.
In January 2026, during the 2025–2026 Iranian protests, Graham expressed support and wore a "Make Iran Great Again" hat. The same month, he compared Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to Adolf Hitler, and urged Trump to kill him. He supported the 2026 Iran war, claiming that he would support Israel "until my dying day" and that he would convince South Carolinians to send their children to the Middle East for war against Iran. Because of NATO's refusal to support the United States and Israel against Iran, Graham said he was disgruntled about the alliance and that he would "never look at Europe the same".
After the 2026 Iran war ceasefire was extended, Graham praised the decision to leave the naval blockade in place, saying it would put pressure on the Iranian government. He also set out strict conditions for any potential agreement with Iran.
In December 2010, Graham was one of 26 senators to vote against the ratification of New START, a nuclear arms reduction treaty between the U.S. and the Russian Federation obliging both countries to have no more than 1,550 strategic warheads or 700 launchers deployed during the next seven years along with providing a continuation of on-site inspections that halted when START I expired the previous year. It was the first arms treaty with Russia in eight years.
In August 2011, Graham co-sponsored a resolution supporting Georgia, writing in a statement, "Russia's invasion of Georgian land in 2008 was an act of aggression, not only to Georgia but to all new democracies."
On July 16, 2013, Graham suggested the United States should consider boycotting the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, because of "what the Russian government is doing throughout the world".
Graham met President Leonid Kuchma at his dacha in Crimea in 2004. It was his first time visiting Ukraine. Senator John McCain was also part of the United States delegation.
On March 3, 2022, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Graham tweeted, "The only way this ends is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out", referring to Russian president Vladimir Putin. The tweet, which was viewed as suggesting that a Russian resident should assassinate Putin, drew backlash from United States politicians, who condemned the idea and proposed heavier sanctions instead.
On May 26, 2023, the Office of the President of Ukraine released an edited video showing Graham talking to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and remarking that "the Russians are dying", followed by a comment that the American military assistance to Ukraine was the "best money we've ever spent". In response, Graham was sharply criticized by the deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev. The Office of the president of Ukraine later released the unedited version of the interview, clarifying that Graham's two remarks were unrelated.
On May 29, 2023, the Russian Interior Ministry issued an arrest warrant for Graham for his comments about the war. In response, Graham tweeted that the news brought him "immense joy" and that he would "wear the arrest warrant issued by Putin's corrupt and immoral government as a Badge of Honor". In a follow-up tweet, Graham added that he would submit to the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) should Russia attempt to serve the warrant.
On February 13, 2024, Graham voted against the Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan appropriations bill because it included an effort by senators James Lankford, Kyrsten Sinema, and Chuck Schumer to control the Mexico–United States border. In April, the House returned the appropriations as four separate bills. Graham joined 79 colleagues and the majority of his caucus in passing the appropriations, which Schumer packaged as one bill.
In 2025, Graham authored and championed the Sanctioning Russia Act, legislation that would impose secondary sanctions on Russia, including 500% tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil, natural gas, uranium, and other exports.
In late August 2025, Graham claimed that the Trump administration's 50% tariff on Indian imports over Russian oil purchases played a key role in bringing Putin to the negotiating table, culminating in the 2025 Russia–United States summit. He said that targeting Russia's customers would force them to choose the U.S. economy over Russian energy and argued that losing major buyers like India would pressure Russia economically, framing the tariff as a strategic move. Economist Jeffrey Sachs sharply criticized Graham, calling him "the worst senator in the U.S." and a "fool", arguing that the tariffs had the opposite effect—unifying BRICS countries and undermining U.S. strategic interests.
Graham supported the NATO-led military intervention in Libya. On January 29, 2013, Graham said that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton "got away with murder" after her testimony about the 2012 Benghazi attack, but the next year he said that the House Intelligence Committee report on Benghazi was "full of crap" and that the Obama administration had been cleared of many of the charges therein.
On January 5, 2017, Graham condemned Obama for abstaining from UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which condemned Israeli settlement building in the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem as a violation of international law.
On March 11, 2019, Graham said he would encourage the Trump administration to recognize the Golan Heights, which is internationally recognized as part of Syria, as part of Israel.
After the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, Graham visited Israel to meet Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure an additional $1 billion of military aid to the country.
On October 10, 2023, Graham tweeted that he "unapologetically stand[s] with Israel" during the Gaza war. He called the conflict a "religious war" and said that Gaza should be "flattened". On October 31, 2023, Graham said that no amount of civilian casualties in Gaza would lead him to question Israel's goal of eradicating Hamas.
On March 9, 2024, Graham said, "For decades now, Palestinian children have been taught through UNRWA and other agencies to kill all the Jews" and "somebody needs to pull the Palestinian school system up by its roots and destroy it."
On May 1, 2024, Graham participated in a conference call between U.S. senators and Karim Ahmad Khan, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. Khan told investigators that when discussing potential arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, Graham said: "You may as well shoot the hostages yourself. This court is for Africans." A spokesperson for Graham denied that he said the latter sentence, claiming instead that he said the court's jurisdiction extends only to places where the rule of law has collapsed.
On May 8, 2024, Graham warned the Pentagon against halting arms supply to Israel during the Gaza war, saying, "Give Israel what they need to fight the war they can't afford to lose. This is Hiroshima and Nagasaki on steroids." This statement caused a debate in the Japanese National Diet. Taku Yamazoe and Jin Matsubara protested to Foreign Minister Yōko Kamikawa. Matsubara said, "The US is Japan's greatest ally, but the Japanese should be firm with the US on lines that they cannot cross." Kamikawa told the parliamentary committee, "The atomic bombings took many precious lives and forced people to face unspeakable hardships such as illnesses and disabilities, creating a situation that is extremely regrettable from a humanitarian point of view." She emphasized that the use of nuclear weapons is "not consistent with the spirit of humanitarianism because of their tremendously destructive and lethal power." On May 14, Kamikawa called Graham's remarks "extremely regrettable". Nihon Hidankyō sent a letter of protest to the U.S. Embassy in Japan that said: "This statement is also in violation of international humanitarian law. With the Nuclear Weapons Convention now in effect, it can only be called an anachronistic and malicious delusion".
On May 10, Graham said that he trusts Israel more than he does U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
On May 11, Graham and 11 other Republican senators introduced a resolution condemning the Biden administration's actions to withhold or restrict ammunition and weapons to Israel.
In a May 12 interview, Graham again defended bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end World War II and said, "Give Israel the bombs they need to end the war. They can't afford to lose." This statement attracted international attention. The Independent, Al Jazeera, and India Today reported that Graham suggested that a nuclear strike on Gaza should be carried out. The South China Morning Post columnist Alex Lo wrote that the American ruling elite is becoming unhinged, bringing up one American genocide after another to justify the Israeli genocide. Hamas issued a statement on the remarks referring to Graham's "deep moral decline and the genocide and colonialism mentality that he harbors" and calling him "among the U.S. political elite, who align themselves with a full-fledged genocidal crime committed by the amoral Israeli army against isolated civilians". Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said, "These horrible statements by an American senator in justifying and encouraging the use of nuclear bombs by the Zionist regime reflect the brutality of those who advocate war and disregard human rights and international resolutions."
On May 20, in response to ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan's announcement of his intention to seek arrest warrants of senior Israeli officials in connection to their alleged responsibility in the war crimes in the Gaza war, Graham called for sanctions to be placed on the ICC and said: "This outrageous decision is truly a slap in the face to the independent judiciary of Israel, which is renowned for their independence." He added, "If they do this to Israel, we're next".
On May 29, Graham met with Netanyahu and called International Court of Justice (ICJ) President Nawaf Salam a "raving antisemite". Graham visited Israel five times after the Hamas attack on October 7, and Netanyahu said he had no better friend for Israel than Graham.
On July 5, Graham said, "The Palestinians in Gaza are the most radicalized population on the planet, who are taught to hate Jews from birth". CAIR issued a statement condemning his remark.
On November 23, Graham argued that, in response to the ICC arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, allied countries such as Canada, the UK, Germany, and France should be sanctioned if they assist the ICC.
On June 1, 2025, in response to Greta Thunberg traveling on a ship bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza, Graham tweeted: "Hope Greta and her friends can swim!" At an August 2025 South Carolina Republican Party meeting, he said, "if America pulls the plug on Israel, God will pull the plug on us".
In 2026, Graham coached Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on how to convince President Trump to begin bombing Iran.
In May 2019, Graham called for a military invasion of Venezuela to overthrow Nicolás Maduro amid the 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis.
In October 2017, in the wake of the Tongo Tongo ambush, which killed four United States soldiers, Graham said, "I didn't know there was a thousand troops in Niger." A few days later, he called for an expanded role of the United States military in Niger: "You're going to see more actions in Africa, not less; you're going to see more aggression by the United States toward our enemies, not less; you're going to have decisions being made not in the White House but out in the field."
In July 2018, Graham and Senator Jeanne Shaheen visited Manbij in Syria and met the Manbij Military Council, which led an offensive to liberate the city from ISIS in 2016 with help from the United States-led coalition.
In January 2026, just months after the Caesar Act had been revoked, Graham repeatedly vowed to introduce the Save the Kurds Act and reimpose "crippling sanctions" on the Syrian transitional government and its allies after its offensive against Kurdish areas in Rojava, in order to "prevent a bloodbath [...] against [the United States'] Kurdish allies". In July 2026, Graham met with Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa, supporting him for his role in curbing Iranian influence in his country and urging more positive reassessments of Syria.
In March 2015, Graham supported the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen, saying, "We want to have a relationship with Saudi Arabia. They're a strategic partner. They're a mortal enemy of the Iranians." In June 2019, he was one of seven Republicans to vote to block Trump's Saudi arms deal providing weapons to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, and one of five Republicans to vote against an additional 20 arms sales. In late 2019, Graham took a warmer approach toward Saudi Arabia. He praised the Trump administration for sending thousands of additional troops to Saudi Arabia to counter Iran's threat. He also praised Saudi Arabia for opening its airspace to Israeli flights.
In October 2019, Graham said he would "introduce bipartisan sanctions against Turkey if they invade Syria" and that he would "call for their suspension from NATO if they attack Kurdish forces who assisted the United States in the destruction of the ISIS Caliphate."
During the 2026 Cuban crisis, Graham said that Cuba's leadership was increasingly vulnerable and that "this communist dictatorship in Cuba [...] their days are numbered".
In 2026, Graham expressed support for the annexation of Greenland and criticized Europeans as weak. He later expressed indifference to Europeans' fears about Trump's threats to annex Greenland.
In November 2019, Graham blocked a Senate resolution to officially recognize the Armenian genocide. In December 2019, he voted for the resolution, which passed the Senate unanimously.
