As Washington and Israel mourn Senator Lindsey Graham, Tehran is doing the opposite. Iran’s foreign ministry has issued a blistering statement on Graham’s sudden death, with spokesperson Esmaiel Baghaei calling his legacy “nothing but a dark record”. The remarks come just a day after Graham died of an aortic tear, two days after visiting Ukraine, and against the backdrop of a collapsing memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States.

Republican hawk and Iran critic was frequent visitor to Middle East and respected among Gulf leaders

Mr Graham, 71, a veteran senator, is notorious for often urging the US to go to war, especially wars that favour Israel.