Lindsey Graham Does 180 on Fox News, Says U.S. Shouldn’t Be ‘Taking Kharg Island’ Just Weeks After He Told Trump, ‘Take Kharg Island’

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) did a dramatic about-face on Monday night, saying the U.S. should not seize Iran’s Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf, directly contradicting what he said just weeks ago.

On March 22, Graham appeared on Fox News Sunday, where he implored President Donald Trump to send U.S. forces to seize Kharg Island, which processes about 90% of Iran’s oil exports. At the time, the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran was three weeks old, and the senator offered some unequivocal advice to the president.

“Here’s what I’d tell President Trump,” Graham said at the time. “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.”

On Monday’s edition of Hannity, however, the senator reversed himself:

I’m not a real advocate of taking Kharg Island. I think we oughta tell the Iranians we will destroy it from the air. 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. 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.

In the aforementioned March 22 appearance on Fox News, Graham likened taking Kharg Island to the Battle of Iwo Jima.

“We’ve got two Marine Expeditionary Area Units sailing to this island,” the senator said then. “We did Iwo Jima, we can do this. The Marines, my money’s always on the Marines.”

The U.S. and Israeli war on Iran flared up again on Monday amid a tenuous ceasefire, as the U.S. and Iran exchanged fire in the vital Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has restricted travel since the war began on Feb. 28. In response, the U.S. has imposed a blockade on Iran. The conflict has sent oil prices soaring, with Brent crude futures around $114 a barrel.

Watch above via Fox News.

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