Bloodthirsty MAGA hawk Lindsey Graham has abruptly changed his tune on the Iran war.
The South Carolina senator has been one of the biggest cheerleaders for Donald Trump’s Operation Epic Fury and even claimed credit for nudging the president into it.
But he can’t seem to make up his mind about what should happen to Kharg Island, which is Iran’s primary oil export hub, handling approximately 90 percent of its crude exports and functioning as a critical economic lifeline.
As the war dragged on and Trump sought an off-ramp, Graham went on Fox News to suggest seizing the strategically important island.
“Here’s what I’d tell President Trump,” Graham said on March 22. “Keep it up for a few more weeks. Take Kharg Island, where all of the resources they have to produce oil. Control that island. Let this regime die on a vine.”
Now, just weeks later, he has totally contradicted himself. “I’m not a real advocate of taking Kharg Island,” he said on Sean Hannity’s eponymous show on Monday evening.
He then revealed his playbook on live TV: lie to the Iranians about bombing Kharg.
“I think we oughta tell the Iranians we will destroy it from the air,” he said. “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.”
Graham then switched his attention to the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint where the conflict is now focused. The U.S. is blockading the waterway through which much of the world’s oil flows on tankers. Iran, however, has dared enemies, particularly the U.S., to enter.
“We’re close to victory. Victory to me would be regaining freedom of navigation of the Strait of Hormuz, degrading a little bit further, short big strong response, degrade 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.”
During his March 22 appearance on Fox News Sunday, Graham also likened taking Kharg to the Battle of Iwo Jima, when U.S. Marines captured a strategic island from the Japanese at the end of World War II. “We’ve got two Marine Expeditionary Area Units sailing to this island,” he said. “We did Iwo Jima, we can do this. The Marines, my money’s always on the Marines.”
