"I can't die now. I still need to [...] get Iran sorted out and do Israeli-Saudi normalisation."
Those were among the final words of hawkish US Senator Lindsey Graham before he died on Saturday, according to Axios , highlighting his determination to press ahead with military pressure on Iran and a regional realignment centred on Israel until his final hours.
Hours before his death, Graham had reportedly spoken by phone with President Donald Trump , who told him he was preparing fresh strikes on Iran following another attack on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
After later telling an associate he was feeling unwell, Graham said he would seek medical attention after his scheduled appearance on NBC's 'Meet the Press' the following morning, before joking that he "couldn't die yet", according to Axios .
The Republican senator from South Carolina, one of Israel's staunchest allies in Congress and among Washington's most hawkish foreign policy voices, spent his final weeks laying the groundwork for a renewed push to normalise relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, which he viewed as the centrepiece of a broader post-war Middle East settlement.
According to the US news outlet, Graham believed Iran's weakening following the US-Israeli military campaign presented Trump with a rare opportunity to broker what he hoped would become a historic agreement between Riyadh and Tel Aviv.
He had planned to launch an intensive diplomatic effort after Israel's October elections and the US midterm elections, aiming to secure an agreement before the new Congress was sworn in in January.
He believed the conflict with Iran first had to be brought under control, particularly the crisis surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, urging Trump to authorise a short but overwhelming military operation to reopen the strategic waterway if diplomacy failed.
In recent weeks, Graham had pushed Trump to make Saudi-Israeli normalisation the centrepiece of a broader regional "day-after" strategy.
According to Axios , he discussed the initiative with Trump and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, while also speaking with Netanyahu aide Ron Dermer, Saudi Ambassador to Washington Princess Reema bint Bandar and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan.
He had also been planning to travel to Saudi Arabia and Israel in the coming weeks to assess whether there was enough political momentum to reopen negotiations, hoping intensive talks would begin in September so the framework of a deal could be in place by November.
Saudi Arabia has repeatedly ruled out establishing diplomatic relations with Israel without an irreversible and time-bound pathway towards an independent Palestinian state.
Israel's far-right government has rejected that condition while continuing to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank, policies widely viewed as undermining the prospects of a viable Palestinian state.
It remains unclear whether any government formed after Israel's October elections would be willing to meet Riyadh's demands.
Graham also believed any agreement would require Senate approval because it included a proposed US-Saudi defence treaty largely negotiated during the Biden administration. According to Axios , he viewed the post-election lame-duck session as the best opportunity to secure the required two-thirds majority.
He also believed winning enough Democratic support would require Israel to make meaningful commitments towards Palestinian statehood and intended to work with Trump to press any future Israeli government in that direction.
Graham's death prompted tributes from the Trump administration and Israeli leaders, who praised him as one of the strongest defenders of the US-Israel alliance.
Across much of the Arab world, however, he was remembered very differently. Activists, academics and commentators recalled his unwavering support for Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, his calls to escalate military action against Iran and his repeated defence of overwhelming force against Palestinians.
Graham drew widespread condemnation after urging Israel to "level the place" after 7 October 2023. In 2024, he also defended Israel's military campaign by comparing it to the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, remarks that amounted to endorsing attacks causing mass civilian casualties.