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Lindsey Graham urges US, Israel to arm Iranian civilians in 'Second Amendment solution' to topple regime
By Taylor Penley
Published May 05, 2026
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham called for a "Second Amendment solution" to the Iranian resistance Monday, arguing the U.S. and Israel should arm civilians inside Iran as tensions linger in the Middle East and the Trump administration keeps regime change front of mind.
"I love the idea of a Second Amendment solution for the Iranian people," Graham told "Hannity."
"If I were President Trump and I were Israel, I would load the Iranian people up with weapons so they could go to the streets armed and turn the tide of battle inside Iran," he continued.
Graham’s remarks echo others who have pointed to internal resistance as a key factor in toppling the Islamic regime, including exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, who argued the regime is vulnerable and urged the world not to give Tehran "another lifeline."
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Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., talks with reporters in the U.S. Capitol during votes on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
"We don't need American boots on the ground," Graham said. "We've got millions of boots on the ground in Iran. They just don't have any weapons. Give them the weapons so they can rise up like we did to destroy this regime."
Taking such action, Graham said, would mirror America’s own path to independence, when armed colonists fought back against British rule.
"The first thing the king does is takes the guns away from his subjects," Graham said.
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Protesters burn images of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a rally in solidarity with Iran's uprising on Whitehall in central London on Jan. 11, 2026, organized by the National Council of Resistance of Iran to protest the regime's internet crackdown and affirm the right to self-defense against regime forces. (Carlos Jasso/AFP)
"The first thing a religious theocracy does is make sure that nobody can have a gun to threaten the regime."
Host Sean Hannity noted that there have been previous attempts to funnel weapons to Iranian opposition groups, but said some efforts had been complicated by weapons allegedly being stolen before reaching their intended recipients.
Graham's response was to simply "do it again."
"I love the idea of empowering the Iranian people with weapons... to make the Revolutionary Guard's life hell," he added.
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"It's one thing to be bombed by America, it's another thing to have your neighbors shoot back at you because they're tired of being slaughtered."
Graham also argued that pressuring Iran’s economy and controlling key waterways like the Strait of Hormuz could bring the conflict to a decisive end.
"If we can control the straits… it is checkmate," he said.
Fox News Digital's Arabella Bennett contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/lindsey-graham-urges-us-israel-arm-iranian-civilians-second-amendment-solution-topple-regime