Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the late U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham had urged him to strike Iran “over concerns about its nuclear program.”

In an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Netanyahu said that Graham had told him: “Bibi, you have to do it. You have to destroy this nuclear program before they destroy us.”

The Israeli prime minister did not specify when exactly this conversation took place.

At the same time, Netanyahu noted that U.S. President Donald Trump is first seeking to use diplomatic avenues to reach an agreement with Tehran, especially on the nuclear issue.

“But he is obviously not afraid to use force when the Iranians violate every commitment they make, usually within hours or minutes after undertaking it,” Netanyahu said.

He also expressed gratitude to the United States for cooperating with Israel “in countering the development of Iran’s nuclear program and preventing Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them.”