Sen. Lindsey Graham on Monday questioned whether the United States should honor a long-sought defense deal with Saudi Arabia, saying the kingdom’s refusal to join military operations against Iran made the partnership difficult to justify given that Americans were dying in a war that Graham himself helped push the Trump administration to start.
In a post on
“Americans are dying and the United States is spending billions to dislodge the Iranian terrorist regime,” he wrote. “Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia appears to be issuing statements and doing things in the background that are marginally helpful.”
He extended the pressure to the region in general: “Hopefully the Gulf Cooperation Council countries will get more involved as this fight is taking place in their backyard.” The post ended with a veiled threat: “If not, there will be consequences.”
Riyadh has been seeking a formal American security guarantee modeled on Washington’s treaty with Japan that would commit the United States to help defend the kingdom against outside attacks. In May 2025, the Trump administration described a $142 billion arms package with Riyadh as the largest defense cooperation deal in U.S. history, and in November granted the kingdom top non-NATO ally status. However, a broader and binding mutual defense pact has not yet been signed.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry issued a response to the Iranian attacks early Monday, condemning the attacks as unjustifiable and stating that Riyadh retains “its full right to take all necessary measures to safeguard its security, sovereignty and the protection of its citizens.” He did not mention the possibility of joining US military operations and the embassy did not respond to a request for comment.
Graham’s threat is carried less by any direct influence he has over Riyadh and more by the geopolitical influence he has demonstrated over the administration that started this war.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Graham spent months pressuring Donald Trump to authorize attacks on Iran, first raising the idea during a round of golf shortly after the 2024 election. The senator made repeated trips to Israel, spoke to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to signal that US attacks seemed likely and said he had advised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on how to approach the president.
Graham, in an interview with the outlet, said that Israeli officials sometimes shared information with him that “our own government doesn’t tell me.”
He said he also worked with retired Gen. Jack Keane and Washington Post columnist Marc Thiessen, George W. Bush’s former chief speechwriter, who wrote op-eds and appeared on television in part to attract Trump’s attention, some of which Trump later shared on Truth Social.
On February 28, the United States began launching airstrikes against Iran in an operation called Operation Epic Fury, along with a simultaneous Israeli operation, which killed Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader, and dozens of other senior officials.
Iran responded with waves of missiles and drones targeting US and allied military bases across the region, which have so far killed seven US service members and wounded eight more.
Preliminary casualty figures amount to approximately 1,255 dead in Iran, mostly civilians, according to the Health Minister. It also killed at least 397 people in Lebanon, 11 in Israel and several people were killed in the Gulf states, including four in the United Arab Emirates, according to officials.
The State Department confirmed Monday that more than 36,000 Americans have returned to the United States from the Middle East since Feb. 28, and the government has completed more than two dozen charter flights.
