Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) sparked a fierce intra-party clash after calling on President Donald Trump to order a ground assault on a critical Iranian island — and comparing the potential operation to one of the most devastating battles in American military history.
Graham made the remarks during a Sunday appearance on Fox News, where he directed criticism at those opposed to military action and pushed Trump to launch a ground offensive targeting Iran’s primary oil export hub.
“We’ve got two Marine Expeditionary Units sailing to this island. We did Iwo Jima. We can do this. The Marines, my money is always on the Marines,” Graham said during the broadcast.
The island Graham referenced is Kharg Island, situated roughly 16 miles off Iran’s coastline in the northern Persian Gulf.
The island functions as the backbone of Iran’s energy export economy, accounting for approximately 90 percent of the country’s oil and gas export revenue.
A military operation against Kharg Island would require U.S. forces to conduct an amphibious landing against fortified defensive positions, all within artillery range of the Iranian mainland.
Iranian forces would have access to a range of weapons systems in such a scenario, including missiles, drones and sea mines, while also being able to draw on reinforcements from the nearby mainland.
The Battle of Iwo Jima, which Graham invoked as a point of comparison, lasted 36 days — from February 19 to March 26, 1945.
American forces suffered 6,821 killed in action and 19,217 wounded during the Pacific island campaign, producing a total casualty count exceeding 26,000.
The losses among certain units were staggering.
One Marine group fighting at the Quarry reported an 83.3 percent casualty rate by the close of the first day alone, leaving fewer than 150 Marines still combat-capable.
Some battalions, including the 1st Battalion of the 26th Marines, recorded casualty rates exceeding 100 percent when accounting for replacement troops rotated into the fighting during the battle.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) responded sharply to Graham’s comments. “There are some in the Senate that advocate for war everywhere. Lindsey Graham is one of them. He does NOT tell the President what to do, nor does he control Congress,” Luna posted on X.
Luna continued her rebuke with a direct challenge to the senator.
“NO BOOTS on the ground. If Senator Graham wants to go fight in a foreign conflict, let him be the first to volunteer,” she added.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) also pushed back, referencing the casualties Graham himself cited.
“We lost 7000 Marines and 20000 were wounded,” Burchett wrote on the platform, invoking the Battle of Iwo Jima.
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) — who shares Graham’s home state — added her voice to the criticism.
“What in the world would possess anyone to say this?” Mace wrote, going on to state, “I do not want to send South Carolina’s sons and daughters into war with Iran.”
Mace went further in a subsequent post, calling for the Trump administration to exclude Graham from Iran-related deliberations entirely.
“I don’t want to hear one word from a guy with no kids, desperately sending our sons and daughters into war on the ground in Iran,” the congresswoman wrote.
The congressional dispute unfolded against the backdrop of a 48-hour ultimatum President Trump had delivered to Iran, demanding the regime reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping corridor.
Trump indicated that Iranian noncompliance could trigger escalated American action, including potential strikes on Iranian infrastructure.
