Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) stated Sunday that the United States will not deploy ground troops to Iran following the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In an exclusive interview on Meet the Press, the senator emphasized that the objective of recent military actions is to neutralize security threats rather than to initiate a long-term occupation.
Graham distinguished the current situation from past conflicts, telling NBC’s Kristen Welker, “there will be no American boots on the ground. This is not Iraq.”
He added that while the U.S. aims to ensure Iran can no longer function as a state sponsor of terrorism, the responsibility for selecting a new government lies solely with the Iranian people. “It’s not our job to pick the next Iranian government,” Graham said. “It’s up to Iran to pick your leader. It’s not my job; it’s not President Trump’s job.”
The senator described the current state of the Iranian leadership as “sinking,” referring to Khamenei as “the captain” of a regime that has funded regional proxies like Hezbollah and Hamas.
READ: Khamenei’s Death A ‘Good Thing’ But Strategy Is Missing, Says Arizona Senator Mark Kelly
He stated that the primary goal of the operation is to strip any future Iranian government of the capability to maintain ballistic missiles or a nuclear program.
Regarding the legality of the strikes, Graham argued that President Trump acted within his authority to eliminate “imminent threats,” citing Iran’s development of missiles and its history of proxy attacks against Americans.
He also dismissed the need for a new Congressional vote on the matter, asserting that the War Powers Act is unconstitutional and that the president has the legal right to defend the country from established threats.
Graham also noted that the removal of the current regime could lead to a “new Middle East,” specifically pointing toward the potential for normalized relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
He indicated that once the threat of state-sponsored terrorism is removed, the U.S. would be willing to assist the Iranian people in reconstruction, provided they do not “regenerate” the previous system of regional militancy.
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