‘Donald Trump is going to kill you…’: US senator Graham issues stark warning to Iran’s supreme leader Khamenei

US Senator Lindsey Graham has publicly threatened Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Edited by: Sumaila Zaman

Published: January 8, 2026, 7:58 AM IST

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https://www.india.com/news/world/donald-trump-is-going-to-kill-you-us-senator-graham-issues-stark-warning-to-irans-supreme-leader-khamenei-if-iranian-regime-continues-to-kill-protesters-internal-crackdown-continues-8259807/ Copy

In light of the widespread demonstrations in Iran, US Senator Lindsey Graham has publicly threatened Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stating that if the Iranian government does not cease killing protesters, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, may order the assassination of Khamenei.

What prompted the senator to make such a direct threat to Khamenei?

During a Tuesday night appearance on Fox News, Graham made the stark threat while bringing up the ongoing anti-regime rallies in Iran. As of Wednesday, the disturbance had resulted in at least 36 deaths and almost 2,000 arrests. While talking to host Sean Hannity, Graham stated,” To the people of Iran: We stand with you tonight. We stand for you taking back your country from the Ayatollah, a religious Nazi who kills you and terrorizes the world,” as reported by Fox News. “And to the Ayatollah: You need to understand, if you keep killing your people who are demanding a better life, Donald J. Trump is gonna kill you,” he added, as reported by Fox News.

Why is the US taking such a strong stance against the Iranian regime?

The protests in Iran began, reportedly about one week ago, in response to inflation and devalued currency, which led to rising costs of living for many Iranians. The Iranian government has adopted a hardline approach to put down the protests through repression, resulting in the deaths of over thirty-five demonstrators and multiple eyewitness reports of Iranian security forces shooting demonstrators.

Graham’s remarks come amid a tense exchange between Trump and Iran’s ayatollah-led regime. Earlier in a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote,” If Iran shoots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go.”

After the historic U.S. mission in Venezuela that resulted in the apprehension and extradition of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, Trump’s warning took on new significance for Iran. In an address to military academy students at Iran’s military academy, Maj. Gen. Amir Hatami responded to Trump’s statements, stating, “The Islamic Republic considers the intensification of such rhetoric against the Iranian nation as a threat and will not leave its continuation without a response.”