Lindsey Graham cheered the strike that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, but then openly admitted the US has zero plan for what comes next

Senator Lindsey Graham recently celebrated the US-Israeli strike that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, but then openly admitted that the United States has no plan for what comes next. This is a bold statement from one of Washington D.C.’s most vocal supporters of military action against Iran.

The joint US and Israeli strikes, which began in the early hours of Saturday, confirmed the death of Iran’s supreme leader and dozens of others. President Trump said the goal of the attacks was to severely disrupt or even bring down the Iranian regime, and he called on Iranian citizens and members of the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to join protesters and overthrow the government.

The conflict has not come without cost. According to the Independent, three US service members have been killed since fighting began, and Iran has launched its own wave of missile attacks across the region in retaliation.

Graham’s position reflects a broader US reluctance to take ownership of the aftermath

Appearing on a news program, Senator Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, made clear that the Trump administration is not planning to take responsibility for whatever may follow if the Iranian government collapses after Khamenei’s death.

He rejected the idea that the US or President Trump should be held accountable for the aftermath. Iran’s constitution already has a secret succession plan built for exactly this moment, which raises further questions about what kind of government could emerge.

“Our goal is to make sure [Iran] cannot become again the largest state sponsor of terrorism,” Graham said, adding that charting the country’s new course would be up to the Iranian people. “That’s a win for us. That’s a win for the region.”

When pressed on whether President Trump had a plan to guarantee this outcome, Graham was direct: “No! It’s not his job or my job to do this. How many times do I have to tell you? Our job is to make sure Iran is no longer the largest state sponsor of terrorism. To help the people reconstruct a new government. No boots on the ground.”

He also dismissed the “you break it, you own it” idea, saying, “I don’t buy that one bit. It’s in America’s interest to make sure the Ayatollah’s dead. He’s dead.” Republican Senator Tom Cotton, who also supported the strikes, offered a slightly different view. He did not fully rule out US forces on the ground but stressed that the president had no plans for a “large-scale” American force inside Iran. 

Cotton, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, said search-and-rescue operations for downed pilots could be initiated if needed, but that the US military campaign would mainly involve air and sea assaults in the coming days.

Iranian state television has confirmed the supreme leader’s death. Reports indicate that satellite images revealed why Iran hid Khamenei’s death for hours, shedding light on the events that unfolded during the strikes. President Masoud Pezeshkian reportedly remains in power, and Iran’s military continues its missile attacks as US and Israeli strikes go on.

Iranian media reported a strike on a girls’ school in southern Iran that killed 148 people and wounded dozens more, making it the largest single mass casualty event of the conflict so far. Casualties have also been reported in Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Some Iranian news outlets have reported the death of former hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, though this has not been confirmed by prominent officials.