Trump loyalist Sen. Lindsey Graham calls attack on Saudi oil installations an 'act of war'

WASHINGTON – Several U.S. lawmakers urged caution Tuesday in countering recent attacks on Saudi oil installations, but Trump loyalist Sen. Lindsey Graham branded the incident an "act of war" that merits a decisive response. Graham said it was "clear" that such a sophisticated attack -- drones firing missiles into the world's largest processing plant and an oilfield in Saudi Arabia -- could only have originated with direction and involvement from the "evil regime in Iran." "This is literally an act of war and the goal should be to restore deterrence against Iranian aggression which has clearly been lost," Graham said in a statement. The Republican lawmaker and trusted Trump ally tweeted that Washington should consider an attack on Iran's oil refineries in response, a move that he said "will break the regime's back." Graham has been a defense hawk for years, and he noted that Trump's "measured response" to Iran shooting down an American drone in June "was clearly seen by the Iranian regime as a sign of weakness." A classified briefing book on the attacks was made available to U.S. senators in a secure location in the U.S. Capitol. Other Republican senators, including Marco Rubio and Ron Johnson, said they fully believe Iran was responsible for the Saudi strike.