Sen. Lindsey Graham has shifted from urging U.S. forces to seize Iran’s Kharg Island to opposing occupation and instead recommending a deceptive threat of airstrikes to keep the island disabled. Kharg handles about 90% of Iran’s crude exports and is a major economic target. Graham framed restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz as the primary objective and compared a potential operation to Iwo Jima while noting Marine units are en route.
Lindsey Graham Reverses Course on Seizing Iran’s Kharg Island — Suggests Feint Instead
A satellite image shows an oil terminal at Kharg Island. / 2026 Planet Labs PBC / via Reuters
Senator Lindsey Graham, a prominent MAGA foreign‑policy hawk from South Carolina, has sharply shifted his public stance on potential U.S. action against Iran’s Kharg Island, the country’s primary oil export hub. Once urging a seizure of the island, Graham has since backtracked and described a more coercive, psychological tactic on live television.
Shift In Stance
Graham had publicly urged President Donald Trump to "take Kharg Island" during a March 22 appearance on Fox News, calling control of the island a way to "let this regime die on a vine." The island handles roughly 90% of Iran’s crude exports and is widely viewed as a critical economic lifeline.
From Seizure To Threat
In subsequent interviews just weeks later, Graham contradicted his earlier advocacy for occupying Kharg. On Sean Hannity’s program he said, "I’m not a real advocate of taking Kharg Island." Instead, he described using the threat of destruction as leverage.
"I think we oughta tell the Iranians we will destroy it from the air," Graham said. "That will accomplish the mission... they can never regenerate anytime soon... and their nuclear program’s been obliterated."
Strategic Goals: Hormuz And Leverage
Graham framed his approach around restoring freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital chokepoint for global oil shipments, and degrading Iranian military capabilities with a "short, big, strong response." He suggested threatening Kharg as leverage, then withdrawing to pursue broader diplomatic aims, including trying to bring Israel and Saudi Arabia back to the negotiating table.
Military References And Historical Comparison
On Fox News Sunday, Graham compared a potential operation to the World War II Battle of Iwo Jima, saying U.S. Marines could capture the island and noting that "we’ve got two Marine Expeditionary Area Units sailing to this island." He emphasized confidence in Marine capabilities while offering competing tactical ideas to policymakers.
Implications
Graham’s flip—from advocating occupation to promoting a strategy of intimidation—highlights internal debate among U.S. hawks over the risks, costs, and objectives of military action against Iran. Threatening critical infrastructure such as Kharg carries serious legal, humanitarian, and geopolitical consequences, and the senator’s public oscillation underscores the uncertainty surrounding U.S. policy options.
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