Balgarianovinite.com
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) bristled at questions from NBC’s Kristen Welker about President Donald Trump’s “plan” for Iran — or lack thereof.
Kicking off what became a tense back-and-forth on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday, Welker asked the South Carolina Senator: “Is the United States at war with Iran?”
Graham, while not quite ready to take a victory lap, said Iran is “close to collapsing.”
“I think the Ayatollah would say yeah,” Graham said. “I don’t know if this is technically a war, but here’s what I can say the headline is for me Sunday. The mother ship of terrorism is sinking, the captain is dead. The largest state sponsor of terrorism, Iran, is close to collapsing.”
Welker then broached the question of who is responsible for replacing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei — who was killed in Saturday’s attack.
“Will the United States pick the next leader of Iran, or will the Iranian people pick the next leader?’
“No,” Graham said. He added, “There will be no American boots on the ground. This is not Iraq, this is not Germany, this is not Japan. We’re going to free the people up from the terrorist regime. And the goal is not only to help the Iranian people to chart a new destiny, to make sure no matter who takes over in Iran, no matter who it is, no matter who the people pick, they cannot become the largest state sponsor of terrorism. They can’t fuel Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Hamas. They can’t have ballistic missiles, they can’t have a nuclear weapon. They will be out of the terrorism business. So the people will pick.”
Welker pressed for details.
“Senator, history tells us just how complicated regime change is,” Welker said. “We saw that when Saddam Hussein was ousted, and the terror threat and group moved in. How will the United States make sure that the next Iranian government isn’t worse than the current regime?”
“That’s not our job, to pick the next Iranian government,” Graham said. “I don’t remember being attacked by Iraq anytime, you know, in the past. Iraq is complicated, but you know, we have a relationship with Iraq. It’s up to Iran to pick your leader. It’s not my job, it’s not President Trump’s job. We’re not going to occupy the country. We’re going to give the people of Iran a chance to do something they’ve never had before: chart their own destiny.”
The Meet the Press moderator cited comments from Trump — who said Saturday in a Truth Social post, “Hopefully the IRGC and police will peacefully merge with the Iranian patriots and work together as a unit to bring back the country to the greatness it deserves.”
“Is hope the plan for the future of Iran?” Welker asked.
“No,” Graham said. “The future of Iran is going to be determined by the Iranian people. The new Iran, whatever it is, whether it’s a cleric, or a representative democracy, our goal is to make sure it cannot become again the largest state sponsor of terrorism. That’s a win for us. That’s a win for the region.
“But is there a plan to make sure that happens, Senator?” Welker said. “Is there a plan? Does the President have a plan to guarantee that that happens?”
“No, it’s not his job or my job to do this!” Graham said — getting short with Welker. “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. You know this idea, ‘you break it, you own it?’ I don’t buy that one bit.”
Watch above, via NBC.
The post ‘How Many Times Do I Have to Tell You?!’ Lindsey Graham Snaps at NBC’s Kristen Welker Asking if Trump Has ‘A Plan’ On Iran first appeared on Mediaite.
‘How Many Times Do I Have to Tell You?!’ Lindsey Graham Snaps at NBC’s Kristen Welker Asking if Trump Has ‘A Plan’ On Iran 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-03-01 17:31:22 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law