Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Sunday blasted President Barack Obama’s administration for agreeing to discussions with Iran about the county’s nuclear program because ‘the time for talking is over.” The New York Times reported on Sunday that Obama administration officials had said the White House had agreed in principle to one-on-one meetings with Iran, a result of efforts to pressure Tehran that began soon after Obama took office.
“The Iranians are trying to take advantage of our election cycle to continue to talk,” Graham told Fox News host Chris Wallace on Sunday. “As we talk with the Iranians, whether it’s bilaterally or unilaterally, the vice president and the president have said, ‘We will do nothing without coordinating with Israel.’ So, we’ve talked with them in Moscow, we’ve talked with them in Baghdad, they continue to enrich.”
“I think the time for talking is over,” he continued. “We should be demanding transparency and access to their nuclear program. They’ve doubled their centrifuges so I think this is a ploy by the Iranians. I hope we are talking to the Israelis.”
Graham added that he hoped that the U.S. would not “take the bait” and agree to one-on-one discussion with Iran.
“I would like to talk with Israel before we make any major decisions with Iran,” he explained.
