https://www.newsmax.com/t/newsmax/article/921272?section=newsfront&keywords=lindsey-graham-drone-military&year=2019&month=06&date=20&id=921272&oref=duckduckgo.com
The United States is "a lot closer today than we were yesterday" to military involvement against Iran after a multimillion U.S. Navy drone was shot down early Thursday, Sen. Lindsey Graham said after senators met in a classified briefing at the White House.
"We're a lot closer today than we were yesterday and only God knows what tomorrow brings," Graham told reporters after he was asked if the response would be made "militarily."
"If next week they go back into enrichment, putting them back on a path to a bomb which they were on anyway, that escalates the tensions between Israel and Iran," Graham added. "If they do anything else against an American asset and this president doesn't respond like Ronald Reagan that's a signal to North Korea and the entire world we're all talk. So Iran's fate is in their hands. And it's up to them to decide how it ends."
Iran, he added, "needs to get ready for severe pain inside their country. Their capability pales in comparison to ours. We won't let them disrupt navigation of the seas, attack our allies, and U.S. interests without paying a price. So if they're itching for a fight, they'll get one."
Graham remarked that the large, unmanned U.S. Navy drone that was shot down was in international waters and the United States has been flying surveillance patterns for months while trying to collect intelligence.
Graham also pointed out that when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was asked to deliver a message to Iran about negotiations, "not only was he rebuffed, they attacked a Japanese ship while the Japanese prime minister was delivering a message from the American president. That tells me all I need to know about the Iranian regime and the negotiating."
Further, if Iran starts with the enrichment of nuclear materials at the levels it has been speaking about, Israel will need to respond, and the United States will back its ally "100%," said Graham.
"There is one nation on the planet that is not going to give the Iranians the pass on their nuclear program," said Graham. "Israel, will, as a last resort, attack to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran. We'll come to their aid."