Senator: 'We are going to make tons of money from the Iran war'

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has sparked reactions after a widely discussed TV statement about the war against Iran. In an interview, he describes the conflict as an opportunity for the US to take control of large parts of the world’s oil reserves – and at the same time earn enormous amounts of money. His remarks are in line with earlier comments on the war in Ukraine, where Graham has also stressed economic interests and natural resources as central driving forces. Similar reasoning has been expressed by other political and business figures in the US, while the war in Ukraine has resulted in major profits for the defense industry – even in Sweden.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, known as one of the most outspoken war hawks in US foreign policy, claims that the war against Iran can bring the US significant economic gains and suggests that, for the US, these are the real underlying motives for the attack, even though Israel, within range of possible Iranian nuclear weapons, may have more survival-oriented reasons.

In an interview on Fox News, Graham said that a regime change in Iran would transform the entire region – and at the same time create major economic opportunities.

– When this regime falls, we will get a new Middle East – and we are going to make tons of money.

Senator Graham:

Just wait and see what happens in the next two weeks — truly, the next two weeks.

We’re going to blow the hell out of these people. This regime is on death row.

Now it’s going to be on its knees. It’s going to fall.

We’re going to have prosperity unlike… pic.twitter.com/G5FX7YV8fO

— Clash Report (@clashreport) March 8, 2026

Graham also linked the war to control over energy resources. According to him, the US, through influence over Iran and Venezuela, could gain access to a large share of the world’s oil reserves.

– Venezuela and Iran have 31 percent of the world’s oil reserves. We will have a partnership with 31 percent of the known reserves. This is China’s nightmare. It’s a great investment.

Senator Graham on Iran:

When this regime goes down, we’re going to make a ton of money. pic.twitter.com/nqyKoTaQJU

— Clash Report (@clashreport) March 8, 2026

Wants to escalate: ‘We’re going to bomb the hell out of them’

The senator also hinted that military attacks may intensify.

– We’re going to bomb the hell out of these people, he said, adding that “no one will threaten [the US] in the Strait of Hormuz again”.

He also described the Iranian regime as severely weakened and close to collapse.

– This regime is in its death throes now. It will fall to its knees, it will fall – and when it falls, we will have peace like we have never had before.

Iran: The US wants to seize the oil

From the Iranian side, Graham’s comments were interpreted as proof of the real motives behind the war. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei accuses the US of wanting to divide the country in order to seize its natural resources.

– Their plan is clear, their project is obvious – they are trying to carve up our country to illegally take control of our oil wealth.

But in a new social media post, Trump points out that the US is profiting from current developments.

“The US is the world’s largest oil producer, by a wide margin, so when oil prices rise, we make a lot of money,” writes the US President.

Similar statements about the war in Ukraine

Graham’s comments on Iran are not the first time he has openly spoken about economic motives behind military conflicts. With regard to the war in Ukraine, the senator has repeatedly highlighted the country’s vast natural resources. In an interview on the CBS program Face the Nation, he described Ukraine as a potential economic gold mine.

– Ukraine has critical minerals worth between ten and twelve trillion dollars.

He also explained why he believes the US should engage in the war.

– I don’t want to give that money, those assets, to Putin so he can share them with China.

Graham has also said that, after the war, Ukraine could become “the best business partner we’ve ever dreamed of”.

In another TV interview, he summarized his view even more bluntly.

– This war is about money.

Other US voices: Money and industrial interests

Similar arguments have also been heard from other political actors in the US. One of them is Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is now affiliated with the Trump administration.

He has argued that the war in Ukraine is largely driven by economic interests. According to him, American arms companies are making enormous sums from the conflict, while the future rebuilding of Ukraine opens up lucrative contracts.

Kennedy has also argued that the large aid packages to Ukraine in practice function as a way to funnel taxpayer money to the US defense industry.

A similar argument has been made by the American top diplomat Victoria Nuland, former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs in the US State Department.

In an interview with CNN, she emphasized that support for Ukraine also benefits the American economy.

– And by the way, we must remember that most of the money comes back to the American economy to produce those weapons, including well-paid jobs in about 40 states across the US.

The war a cash cow – even in Sweden

Even outside the US, there are economic interests linked to the war in Ukraine. In Sweden, defense group Saab has become one of the big winners from the increase in military build-up. Since Russia’s invasion in 2022, the company’s value has risen sharply, yielding enormous profits for its owners.

The Swedish finance family Wallenberg, who through the investment company Investor are the largest owners in Saab, have made tens of billions of kronor from the sharp rise in the defense sector. At the same time, representatives of the family have warned about the consequences of a rapid peace agreement in Ukraine.

Montage. Photo: Ukrainian General Staff/Facsimile.

Jacob Wallenberg, chairman of Investor, expressed during a top-level security conference concern that peace could slow down the extensive military buildup in Europe.

– We all know what happens when peace arrives.

He implied that peace risks leading to political discussions about using the money for other purposes than weapons – something that could reduce investment in defense and thereby the economic gains for SAAB.