Lindsey Graham Slams Arab Allies Over Iran War: 'I Go To South Carolina And I'm Asking Them To Send Their Sons And Daughters To The Mideast'

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham slammed the U.S.'s Arab allies over their approach to the war in Iran, urging them to join the attacks and get Tehran to capitulate.

In an interview on Fox News, Graham said the U.S. is seeking to help its allies in the Arab world "construct a new Mideast" but they need to do more. "You need to up your game here."

He went on to say he "can't go to South Carolina and say 'we're fighting' and you won't publicly fight."

"What you're doing behind the scenes has to stop. The double dealing of the Arab world when it comes to this stuff needs to end. I go back to South Carolina , I'm asking them to send their sons and daughters to the Mideast. I want you to do: step forward and say 'this is my fight too,'" he added.

In the meantime, the war rages on. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday in a press conference will be the most intense days of U.S. strikes inside Iran. "The most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes. Intelligence more refined and better than ever. So that's on one hand," he said. "On the other hand, the last 24 hours have seen Iran fire the lowest number of missiles they've been capable of firing yet."

He also warned Tehran against seeking to shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint for global energy.

"If Iran does anything to stop the flow of oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America 20 times harder than they have been hit thus far," Hegseth said.

In the same conference, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the U.S. military could consider escorting ships through the waterway to keep oil prices in check. "We'll look at the range of options to set the military conditions to be able to do that," Caine said.