Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) issued a threat to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei as tens of thousands of protesters participated in protests against the regime.
Iran’s government has taken harsh measures to punish those participating in the demonstrations, which kicked off in late December. Graham, who has been a major proponent of military intervention in the region, discussed the protests during an appearance on Fox News.
“All the people who are protesting for the Palestinians, where are you today standing behind the people of Iran or trying to throw over the Ayatollah, who's a religious Nazi, who killed a 16-year-old girl for not wearing a head cover on a bus, who's tortured, raped, and maimed the population, who is the largest state sponsor of terrorism on the planet?” Graham said.
The lawmaker noted that the Iranian people “are in open revolt” and have “chosen not to live this way anymore.”
“And unlike Obama, President Trump has not turned his back on the people of Iran. So I pray and hope that 2026 will be the year that we make Iran great again,” Graham said before donning a black “Make Iran Great Again” baseball cap.
Lindsey Graham tells Iran’s Ayatollah that he better allow Mossad-backed protesters to overthrow his regime, or he will wake up dead.
— Shadow of Ezra (@ShadowofEzra) January 7, 2026
Graham says Iran is on the verge of collapse and guarantees the Iranian people that more help is on the way.
"You're going to wake up dead." pic.twitter.com/MkXjm9KrGV
Graham warned the regime that it should “take Trump seriously,” and that “If you keep killing your people who are demanding a better life, Donald J. Trump is going to kill you.”
The senator referred to the Trump administration’s ouster of Venezuelan Nicolás Maduro as an example of what the president might do to Iranian leaders.
The regime has killed at least 34 protesters and arrested over 2,000 since the demonstrations began.
🔴 BREAKING:
— Shayan X (@ShayanX0) January 7, 2026
Just moments ago in Iran, anti-Islamist-regime, pro-Reza-Shah-Pahlavi protesters in Mashhad, are overpowering the regime’s agents and forcing them to retreat in defeat.
As the MSM is deliberately under-reporting, make sure you are the voice of the Iranian people. pic.twitter.com/lckjO2jZpn
Iran’s Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi said on Tuesday that he is prepared to lead Iran through a transition away from the Islamic regime if it falls. “At the call of my compatriots, I’ve stepped forward to lead this transition from this tyranny to a future democracy,” he said, adding that his role “is to help my compatriots achieve that goal, to bring about a peaceful end by means of a national referendum and a constitutional assembly.”
The protests started in response to the devaluing of the country’s currency, but later became a movement to topple the Islamist regime.