Chicago’s Morning Answer host Chris Krok, filling in for Dan Proft, reacted to the news of Senator Lindsey Graham’s sudden death, relaying reporting from Axios that Graham had complained of feeling unwell shortly before his passing and told a colleague he planned to seek medical attention after a scheduled appearance on Meet the Press. Krok noted Graham had joked that he still had work left to do on Russia sanctions, Iran, and Israeli-Saudi normalization before he died just hours later.
Krok welcomed Steven Bucci, a retired Army Special Forces officer, former top Pentagon official, and visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation’s Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies, to discuss Graham’s legacy and the state of U.S. policy toward Iran. Bucci said Graham’s consistent support for American allies and firm posture toward adversaries would define how he is remembered, even as his relationship with the president fluctuated on specific issues over the years.
The conversation shifted to Iran, where Krok argued that ongoing efforts to negotiate a deal with Tehran were futile given the regime’s history of bad faith. Bucci agreed, arguing that Iran’s leadership operates according to a theological framework that treats negotiating partners as adversaries rather than equals, and that the country has demonstrated repeatedly that it has no intention of honoring agreements. Bucci said he supports a more aggressive posture, calling for any vessel or aircraft leaving Iran’s coastline to be destroyed and for continued strikes on known missile sites, production facilities, and any infrastructure tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Bucci also addressed the idea of seizing Iran’s Qeshm Island as a way to disrupt the regime’s oil distribution network without occupying the mainland, arguing that U.S. air power could protect a limited ground presence there with manageable risk. He said he believes many Iranian dissidents would support strikes on dual-use infrastructure such as bridges if it meaningfully weakened the regime’s control over the population and its oil revenue, arguing that a degraded regime combined with a population that feels supported could open the door to an uprising.
Asked about arming Iranian civilians directly, Bucci acknowledged the logistical challenges involved but said U.S. special operations forces and the CIA’s ground branch have likely been developing contingency plans since the conflict began, potentially in coordination with Israeli intelligence assets already operating inside the country. He said he does not expect American personnel on the ground before the midterm elections, but anticipates continued escalation of airstrikes and missile engagements in the meantime.
Bucci also addressed reported threats against President Trump’s life, noting Iran’s history of targeting foreign officials, including a foiled plot against the Saudi ambassador to the United States, and said the regime has sought retribution against Trump and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo since the killing of Qasem Soleimani. He said he believes lone-actor threats from individuals already inside the country are harder to detect than coordinated efforts directed from abroad, and confirmed that individuals of Iranian descent, including dissidents, continue to be monitored domestically.
Closing the interview, Bucci addressed the State Department’s decision to block a planned meeting between a top New York City mayoral official and Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations. He said the meeting would have offered Iran a significant propaganda win internationally, even if it would have done little to improve the regime’s standing domestically, and emphasized that mayors and governors have no legal authority to conduct independent foreign policy with adversarial governments.