‘I’m tired of this crap:’ Lindsey Graham attacks Gulf leaders, compares Iranian leader to Hitler
Graham interviewed Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.
Republican US Senator Lindsey Graham “I’m tired of this nonsense,” he expressed frustration with Gulf leaders in an interview with Christiane Amanpour at the Munich Security Conference on Friday.
Interviewed with Graham Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi and Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament.
Graham claimed that the Iranian regime is now at its weakest point and that it is time for the US military intervention promised in US President Donald Trump’s “help is on the way” statement in January.
He also compared Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khameneini to Adolf Hitler and said:
“Hitler wrote a book [saying that] He wanted to kill all the Jews. Nobody believed him. I believe that the Ayatollah and his regime, not the Iranian people, are religious fanatics, religious Nazis. Hitler wanted a superior race; They want a superior religion.”
He then compared Trump’s “help is on the way” post to Ronald Reagan’s famous speech at the Berlin Wall in 1987: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”
He explained that both he and Trump would prefer a diplomatic solution, but that the Iranian regime, which he called the “mother ship of terrorism”, must be destroyed one way or another.
Asked about the possibility of someone worse than Hamanpour taking over Iran in the power vacuum that would result from the US dismantling the regime, Graham assured Amanpour that the likelihood of that outcome was “fairly low.”
“The risk with regime change is real,” he admitted, “but we have troops in the region… it is still us. United States… We have incredible talent. “I know we can win a conflict.”
Graham suggested that if the Iranian regime survives, it will be a disaster for the region, all Iranian opponents will be killed and Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis will grow stronger over time.
Stating that he plans to visit Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE next week, he added with the following message: “If we can [take down the Iranian regime] Through diplomacy, okay. But we experienced this with this regime. “Think big… Don’t let this moment pass.”
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham speaks with Christiane Amanpour during a Town Hall panel on the future of Iran at the 62nd Munich Security Conference on February 13, 2026 in Munich, Germany. (Source: SEAN GALLUP/GETTY IMAGES)
Graham then touched on the divide between Saudi and Emirati leaders, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Emirati President Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan.
“Stop it Saudi Arabia, I’m tired of this nonsense. MBZ is not a Zionist and you are emboldening Iran by having this conflict. I know they have differences in Yemen and Sudan but we have to think about the big picture.”
Why did Iran and Saudi Arabia fall into conflict?
Both Gulf powers are highly involved in the power struggle in nearby Yemen, and each supports opposing factions.
The conflict emerged last year when UAE-backed separatist fighters drove Saudi-backed forces aligned with the internationally recognized Yemeni government out of key provinces.
In late December, Saudi Arabia struck what it said was a shipment of Emirati arms and equipment destined for the STC, Yemen’s main separatist group, at the port of Mukalla, before backing an offensive that led to the collapse of the STC and the withdrawal of the UAE after almost a decade as the main power in Yemen.
Disputes between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi span the region and cover many different issues, from geopolitics to oil production. The two countries are also engaged in fierce economic competition, including who can attract more foreign capital and visitors and who can claim the biggest share of the global artificial intelligence boom.
Reuters contributed to this report.
