‘We did Iwo Jima. We can do this’: Sen. Lindsey Graham says on Kharg Island
Sen. Lindsey Graham from South Carolina has been a fervent supporter of President Donald Trump’s war on Iran. But even his recent comments about Kharg Island stirred up criticism from other GOP members.
Shannon Bream from Fox News cited an article from The Atlantic, warning that a siege on Kharg Island could result in a “war of attrition.”
“I’m sort of tired of all this armchair quarterbacking. This has been an amazing military operation. God bless the fallen,” Graham pushed back on the claim.
“But there’s a difference when we talk about troops on the ground,” Bream raised.
Graham continued, “I trust the Marines, not that guy. I trust DoD.” The senator further claimed that there are two Marine expeditionary units on the way to Kharg.
“We did Iwo Jima. We can do this.” It doesn’t matter to Graham whether the island is besieged or blockaded so long as Kharg is captured and under US control.
But invoking Iwo Jima did not sit well, even with Republicans. The battle, which happened in World War II, was notably a costly victory for the United States. An estimated 6,800 Marines died, and 19,200 American soldiers were wounded. Graham speaking of the historically brutal battle in Iwo Jima—as if the Trump administration were willing to go to the same lengths to conquer Kharg Island—is unnerving, to say the least. Moreover, there has been massive pushback from the American public against sending ground troops to Iran.
Therefore, bringing up the Battle of Iwo Jima does not make the argument for the war persuasive. On the contrary, it’s a grotesque deterrent for support.
MAGA disgusted by Graham’s remarks
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna from Florida, who also defended Trump’s war, was upset over Graham’s comment. She wrote on X, “I am deeply upset at the lack of respect for life Senator Lindsey Graham is displaying when talking about our troops. He is acting as if they are expendable cattle. This is unacceptable and dark. There were over 26,000 American casualties at Iwo Jima.”
Similarly, Rep. Nancy Mace from South Carolina—the same state as Graham—also condemned the senator’s statement. She said on X, “Lindsey Graham needs to be removed from the Situation Room. 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.”
Far-right political commentator Matt Walsh, who has been supportive of Trump, also disagreed with Graham’s sentiments. He posted, “It’s extremely troubling that Graham has so much influence with the administration and has been so empowered to speak on its behalf. He is not conservative, he is not America first, he has never done a single thing in his career to advance the interests of actual American citizens, and he clearly wants this war to continue indefinitely and doesn’t care how many Americans die in the process.”
Tom Nichols from The Atlantic reacted to Graham. He shared, “Price of Iwo Jima was 7000 KIA and 19,000 wounded.”
Graham’s comment as an argument against the war
The Trump administration is already struggling to justify the war on Iran as is. Perhaps Graham speaking so callously about American servicemen is the best case against the war. It is easier to support a conflict when casualties are not mentioned—when the campaign is gamified by the Department of Defense. But when a senator unintentionally reminds Americans that blood must be paid to win, cooler heads prevail.
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