[Up First] US and Iran Trade Attacks Again, Sen. Lindsay Graham Dies, Congress Returns

Late Sunday, U.S. Central Command launched another wave of strikes against Iranian missile and drone launchers as well as coastal radar sites. CENTCOM stated that the Strait of Hormuz

is a vital maritime corridor and that Iran does not control it. The strikes were described as having degraded

Iran’s ability to attack international shipping. Iran reported one civilian death and said an agricultural water pumping station in central Iran was struck, bringing the total death toll to 17 since the recent escalation began.

Iran responded by targeting U.S. bases in Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait, and had already struck Oman over the weekend — notable because Oman has served as a mediator in ceasefire negotiations. Air defense sirens sounded in Bahrain and Kuwait as both countries reported intercepting the attacks. Global oil prices jumped more than 4%

when markets opened Monday, reflecting the deepening uncertainty over the waterway that carries roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply.

Ceasefire talks remain in a murky state. A 60-day interim deal was meant to bridge the two sides toward a permanent agreement, but President Trump declared the ceasefire over during the NATO summit, while not entirely ruling out future diplomacy. Iran’s foreign minister said the country remains in contact with mediators including Oman, Qatar, and Pakistan, adding that “diplomacy has no day off.” Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei — who has not appeared publicly since taking power in March — delivered a second audio address via state television, vowing to avenge his father’s death and the deaths of what he called “the martyrs of two wars.”

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina died suddenly from a tear in his aorta caused by heart disease. Graham served more than two decades in the Senate and was widely regarded as one of the last standard bearers

of an interventionist Republican foreign policy. He was a vocal supporter of U.S. military campaigns in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria, and consistently championed robust aid for Ukraine and Israel. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy noted that Graham had visited Ukraine ten times since Russia’s invasion began.

Domestically, Graham was instrumental in shepherding

all three of Trump’s Supreme Court nominees through confirmation during his first term as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. More recently, as chair of the Budget Committee, he guided the One Big Beautiful Bill Act through a complex procedural process without a single Democratic vote. He also served as a key go-between for Trump during both impeachment trials.

Graham was born in Central, South Carolina, and grew up in modest circumstances above his family’s bar and pool hall. After his parents died while he was still in school, he became the legal guardian of his younger sister, eventually adopting her. He served six years on active duty in the Air Force and maintained military reserve service for over three decades — a personal history that shaped his lifelong commitment to U.S. military engagement abroad.

Congress returned from recess Monday with Senate Republicans facing a significantly narrower path to passing legislation. Graham’s death removes one reliable vote, and Senator Mitch McConnell remains absent due to health issues. With the Senate already operating on razor-thin margins, Republican leadership must now recalibrate its strategy for advancing the legislative agenda in the weeks ahead.

The party’s to-do list remains long: budget reconciliation, appropriations deadlines, and other priorities tied to Trump’s second-term agenda. Each missing vote tightens the screws

on Republican leaders who can afford almost no defections. Leadership will need to manage internal divisions carefully while also mourning the loss of a senator who had been a reliable procedural ally.