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Lindsey Graham Says There Isn’t a Need for American Ground Troops in Iran — “Do You See Any American Ground Troops? I Don’t See a Need for It”

  • Rob Glenn
  • March 12, 2026
Lindsey Graham Says There Isn’t a Need for American Ground Troops in Iran — “Do You See Any American Ground Troops? I Don’t See a Need for It”

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham said Thursday that he does not believe American ground troops are necessary in the ongoing U.S. military campaign against Iran, but warned that the conflict is likely to continue for several more weeks before officials evaluate its results.

Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill, Graham said the current strategy does not involve deploying U.S. ground forces.

“This is not Iraq. Do you see any American ground troops? I don’t see a need for it,” Graham said.

The South Carolina Republican added that while he does not expect the conflict to end immediately, U.S. operations are focused on weakening Iran’s military capabilities and preventing the country from rebuilding its missile or nuclear programs.

“I don’t see this conflict ending today,” Graham said. “I think the mission is to make sure they cannot regenerate, that they’re going to be beyond capable of building missiles to hit us, and they’ll never go back to the nuclear business.”

Graham said U.S. operations are intended to degrade Iran’s broader military capacity, including its ability to threaten international shipping routes such as the Strait of Hormuz.

“What we’ve done in eleven days is beyond what I thought we could do,” he said. “There are weeks more of this coming, then we’ll make an assessment.”

The comments come as the United States continues military operations against Iran that began earlier in March as part of a broader campaign targeting Iranian military infrastructure.

In separate remarks earlier this week, Graham defended the U.S. response to the conflict and urged American allies to take a more visible role in confronting Iran.

Appearing on Fox News’ “Hannity,” Graham called on Middle Eastern partners to publicly support efforts to counter Iran’s government.

“I go back to South Carolina, I’m asking them to send their sons and daughters over to the Mideast,” Graham said, urging regional allies to join the United States in opposing the Iranian leadership.

The senator also criticized some NATO allies, including Spain, for what he described as insufficient cooperation on military basing arrangements during the conflict.

Graham has been one of the most vocal supporters in Congress of a strong U.S. response to Iran and has argued that sustained pressure is necessary to prevent the country from rebuilding its military capabilities.