Swapna Kumbar , Bengaluru - U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham has died at the age of 71 after a brief and sudden illness, according to his office. Donald Trump paid tribute to the South Carolina Republican, calling him “one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known”.

Graham was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002 and went on to win reelection in 2008, 2014 and 2020. Before the Senate, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives, after earlier work as a U.S. Air Force lawyer and service in the South Carolina Air National Guard. He became one of South Carolina’s most prominent Republican figures and a long-serving voice in national politics.

In Trump’s second term, Graham emerged as a major hawk on Iran and a vocal advocate of military pressure. Reports described him as one of the most pro-war Republicans on the issue, and he repeatedly argued that Washington should keep maximum pressure on Tehran and, if necessary, use military action. His comments made him one of the most visible Senate supporters of Trump’s hard line on Iran.

Graham’s death removes one of Trump’s closest Republican allies and one of Washington’s most outspoken advocates for a confrontational Iran policy. His long Senate career and aggressive foreign-policy stance ensured he would be remembered as a powerful, controversial figure in U.S. politics.