Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Monday walked back his earlier call for U.S. troops to seize Kharg Island, the Iranian oil terminal that handles roughly 90% of the country's crude exports. During an appearance on Fox News's Hannity, Graham said he is not a strong proponent of capturing the island, instead advocating for a threat to destroy it from the air.
“I’m not a real advocate of taking Kharg Island. I think we oughta tell the Iranians we will destroy it from the air,” Graham told host Sean Hannity. “That will accomplish the mission that I have in mind, which means they can never regenerate anytime soon to become the largest state sponsor of terrorism and their nuclear program’s been obliterated. We’re close to victory.”
In March, Graham had repeatedly urged President Trump to “take” Kharg Island to cripple Iran’s economy, even comparing a potential ground invasion to the World War II battle of Iwo Jima, which killed about 7,000 U.S. service members. That comparison drew sharp criticism from fellow Republicans. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) accused Graham of treating U.S. soldiers like “expendable cattle,” while Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) labeled him “Washington’s war machine.”
Over the past month, Graham’s rhetoric on a ground invasion has softened. The shift comes as Trump has declared the Iran conflict “terminated” under the War Powers Act, though U.S. and Iranian forces continue to clash for control of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global energy shipments.
Graham now defines victory as “regaining freedom of navigation of the Strait of Hormuz, degrading a little bit further … their military capability a bit further, threaten Kharg Island with destruction, and pull out and try to get Israel and Saudi Arabia back to the peace table.”
The senator also proposed arming Iranian citizens to overthrow the regime. “If I were President Trump and I were Israel, I would load the Iranian people up with weapons so they can go to the streets armed and turn the tide of battle inside Iran,” he said. “We don’t need American boots on the ground. We’ve got millions of boots on the ground in Iran. They just don’t have any weapons. Give them the weapons so they can rise up like we did to destroy this regime. A Second Amendment solution, I think, would go a long way to ending this war.”
Graham’s reversal underscores the ongoing debate within the GOP over the scope of U.S. military involvement in the Middle East. His earlier push for a ground invasion had sparked a backlash, and his latest comments suggest a pivot toward a more limited, air-centric strategy. The shift also comes as the administration faces pressure to clarify its endgame in the region, with both domestic and international audiences watching closely.
For more on related developments, see Graham’s earlier warnings about expanding the blockade on Iranian oil exports and Trump’s decision to extend the Iran ceasefire indefinitely.
