Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Sunday declared that Donald Trump wasn’t responsible for teeing up a regime change for Iran in the wake of his deadly strikes on the country which killed its supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.

In an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Graham reacted to a social media post from the president where he wrote that “hopefully” Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), along with its military and police forces, would work together to “bring back the Country to the Greatness it deserves.”

“Is hope the plan for the future of Iran?” asked host Kristen Welker.

Graham, a longtime Trump ally and foreign policy hawk, distanced the president from the potential fallout of his own attack, instead framing the joint military offensive with Israel as a way to weaken what he called the “mothership of terrorism.”

“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,” Graham said. “That’s a win for us. That’s a win for the region.”

Welker interjected, “But is there a plan to make sure that happens, senator? Is there a plan, does the president have a plan to guarantee that that happens?”

An irritated Graham replied, “No! It’s not his job or my job to do this! How many times do I have to tell you?”

He continued, “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.”

LINDSEY GRAHAM: Our goal is to make sure Iran cannot become again the largest state sponsor of terrorism.WELKER: Does the the president have a plan to guarantee that happens?GRAHAM: No. It's not his job.

The military operation from the self-proclaimed “peace president” left three U.S. service members killed and seriously wounded five others, U.S. Central Command announced Sunday.

Trump, who notably vowed to bring “forever wars” to a halt on the campaign trail, addressed the killings on Sunday afternoon, telling NBC News that the U.S. expects “casualties with something like this.”

He added, “We have three, but we expect casualties — but in the end it’s going to be a great deal for the world.”

Graham, in his interview with Welker, dismissed the notion of the so-called “Pottery Barn rule,” a term popularized by then-Secretary of State Colin Powell ahead of George W. Bush’s invasion in Iraq.

“We don’t own — you know this idea, ‘If you break it, you own it.’ I don’t buy that one bit,” Graham said.

He went on, “It’s in America’s interest to make sure the Ayatollah is dead. He’s dead. It’s in America’s interest to make sure that Iran can no longer be the largest state sponsor of terrorism. We’re close. Once the people decide what they want to do next, I don’t mind helping them.”

Watch more of Graham’s appearance on “Meet the Press.”

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