--- title: Lindsey Graham: Obama's Iran Deal to Blame for Global Woes description: The South Carolina Republican says President Barack Obama's pursuit of a deal with Iran led him to ignore Russian and Chinese offenses. canonical: https://time.com/4025406/lindsey-graham-iran-deal-obama/ author: Philip Elliott article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-09-08T18:38:57.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:43:41.179Z article:section: Politics og:title: Lindsey Graham Blames Iran Deal for Global Woes og:description: He says the pursuit of a deal led Obama to turn a blind eye to other problems. og:url: https://time.com/4025406/lindsey-graham-iran-deal-obama/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt13432e7dbdc09f0b/69886293a988ca9a056b4388/lindsey-graham-iran.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: Republican Presidential hopeful and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) addresses a Newsmaker Luncheon at the National Press Club September 8, 2015 in Washington, DC. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Lindsey Graham Blames Iran Deal for Global Woes twitter:description: He says the pursuit of a deal led Obama to turn a blind eye to other problems. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt13432e7dbdc09f0b/69886293a988ca9a056b4388/lindsey-graham-iran.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Graham Blames Global Problems on Iran Nuclear Deal > Sponsored content. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Philip Elliott](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/)  ## Philip Elliott Senior Correspondent Sep 8, 2015 6:38 PM UTC  Republican Presidential hopeful and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) addresses a Newsmaker Luncheon at the National Press Club September 8, 2015 in Washington, DC. Republican Presidential hopeful and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) addresses a Newsmaker Luncheon at the National Press Club September 8, 2015 in Washington, DC. Alex Wong—Getty Images  by [Philip Elliott](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/)  ## Philip Elliott Senior Correspondent Sep 8, 2015 6:38 PM UTC Sen. Lindsey Graham blamed President Obama’s pursuit of an Iranian nuclear deal for everything from Russian’s invasion of Ukraine to Chinese cyber-attacks and the collapse of Yemen’s government. In a scathing speech Tuesday, the Republican presidential contender argued that Obama was willing to overlook festering international problems in order to get cooperation on the Iranian agreement. “He has neither the will nor the understanding of the Middle East,” Graham said at an appearance at the National Press Club. “Evil is doing well on his watch and he has been a poor champion of freedom.” The South Carolina Republican, a longtime foreign policy hawk, faces an uphill climb to his party’s presidential nomination. But he is in broad agreement with many in his party on the deal with Iran, which now has enough support in the Senate to overcome Republican opposition. “The only way to reset the table is to get a new President,” Graham said. In a rare scripted speech, Graham said rival nations took advantage of the United States during the negotiations. He said Russia went into Ukraine, largely unchecked, because it saw Washington as unwilling to intervene. China, too, has been aggressive in its cyber warfare because the United States needed Beijing’s cooperation for an Iran deal, he argued. “They’re getting away with almost everything,” Graham said. Meanwhile, Iranian-backed Houthi militants toppled the pro-American government of Yemen, and Tehran has also expanded its influence in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, Graham chided. He called Syrian President Bashir al-Assad a “puppet” of Iran. “Iran set the entire Middle East on fire, taking over four Arab capitals,” he added. The United States, he added, let it happen. “Obama has been unwilling to counter these provocations in a forceful manner for fear of jeopardizing his Iranian agreement,” Graham said. China, Russia, France, the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States negotiated the nuclear deal, under which Iran will get relief from sanctions and regain access to international oil markets. That is expected to bring it a windfall of about $100 billion to Iran. In exchange, Iran must dispose of most of its low-enriched uranium, stop efforts to produce or acquire more nuclear fuel and consent to inspections. Republicans in Congress are trying to block the deal, although they lack the votes to derail it. “We don’t have the votes to do that,” Graham acknowledged Tuesday. But, he added, even the deal’s supporters should allow at least an open debate on the floor of the Senate when it convenes on Wednesday. “What the hell are we here for, if not to talk about this?” Graham asked. ### See the 2016 Candidates Looking Very Presidential  Sen. Ted Cruz is surrounded by stars and stripes at the 2014 Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C. on September 26, 2014. Mark Peterson—Redux  Hillary Clinton Hillary Clinton gazes pensively into the distance at Iowa Senator Tom Harken'a annual Steak Fry in Indianola, Iowa on September 14, 2014. Brooks Kraft—Corbis for TIME  Jeb Bush Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush flashes a power watch before giving his keynote address at the National Summit on Education Reform in Washington on Nov. 20, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Bernie Sanders waves to supporters after officially announcing his candidacy for the U.S. presidency during an event at Waterfront Park in Burlington, Vermont, on May 26, 2015. Win McNamee—Getty Images  Chris Christie New Jersey Governor Chris Christie strikes a presidential power stance at the ceremony for the opening of the 206 bypass in Hillsborough, New Jersey on October 28, 2013. Mark Peterson—Redux  Former Hewlett-Packard Co Chief Executive Officer Carly Fiorina listens to her introduction from the side of the stage at the Freedom Summit in Des Moines, Iowa on Jan. 24, 2015. Jim Young—Reuters  Rand Paul Sen. Rand Paul works a crowd during a campaign stop on October 24, 2014 in McDonough, Georgia. Jessica McGowan—Getty Images  Rick Perry Texas Gov. Rick Perry looks powerfully patriotic during the National Anthem before an NCAA college football game on Nov. 27, 2014, in College Station, Texas. David J. Phillip—AP  Bobby Jindal Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal looks to the future during The Family Leadership Summit on Aug. 9, 2014, in Ames, Iowa. Charlie Neibergall—AP  Martin O'Malley Maryland Governor Martin OíMalley ponders decorating ideas in front of his possible future home on CBS's Face the Nation on Feb. 23, 2014. Chris Usher—AP  Marco Rubio Sen. Marco Rubio looks determined the morning after the State of the Union address in Washington, D.C. on January 29, 2014. Melissa Golden—Redux  Ben CarsonBen Carson at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference on March 8, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Jim Webb Retiring Sen. Jim Webb imitates the presidential wave during a rally in Virginia Beach, Va. on Sept. 27, 2012. Steve Helber—AP  John Kasich Ohio Gov. John Kasich practices his presidential victory pose at the Ohio Republican Party celebration on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014, in Columbus, Ohio. Tony Dejak—AP  Rick Santorum Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum looks resolute at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference on March 7, 2014. Brooks Kraft—Corbis  Scott Walker Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker practices the presidential point on March 3, 2014 in Milwaukee. Jeffrey Phelps—AP  Mike Huckabee Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee fine-tunes his presidential oratory at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference in National Harbor, Md. on March 7, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Lincoln Chafee, Former Rhode Island Governor, poses for a selfie with a student after announcing he will seek the Democratic nomination for president in Arlington, Va. on June 3, 2015. Jonathan Ernst—Reuters  Lindsey Graham Lindsey Graham announced his plans to join the 2016 presidential race. Alex Wong—Getty Images  George Pataki Former New York governor George Pataki listens to a question at the First in the Nation Republican Leadership Conference in Nashua, New Hampshire, in this April 17, 2015 file photo. 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