https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/lindsey-graham-threatens-saudi-arabia-if-they-do-not-join-war-iran

Lindsey Graham threatens Saudi Arabia if they do not join war on Iran

US senator and close Trump ally said there should be 'consequences' for Gulf states that do not join a war they opposed

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham speaks to the press at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on 3 March 2026 (Jim Watson/AFP)

By Sean Mathews

Published date: 9 March 2026 20:04 GMT | Last update:7 hours 35 mins ago

US Senator Lindsey Graham lambasted Saudi Arabia on Monday for not attacking Iran and threatened “consequences” against other Gulf countries if they do not join the US-Israeli war on Iran, which the kingdom has opposed from the outset.

“It is my understanding the Kingdom refuses to use their capable military as a part of an effort to end the barbaric and terrorist Iranian regime who has terrorized the region and killed 7 Americans,” Graham wrote on X.

“Should America do a defense agreement with a country like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that is unwilling to join a fight of mutual interest?” he added.

Graham’s post effectively confirms what a US official told Middle East Eye previously: that Riyadh has prevented the US from accessing its bases for offensive operations.

US Central Command said on Monday that a seventh American soldier died from wounds he sustained on 1 March in an Iranian strike on a US military base in Saudi Arabia.