United States senator Lindsey Graham has issued a stark warning to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, asserting that US President Donald Trump would “kill” him if his regime continued to harm civilians amid protests spreading across several Iranian provinces triggered by inflation and public anger over government policies. In an interview with Fox News, Graham showed solidarity with the protesters in Iran, who have taken to the streets to demonstrate against the regime.
Graham, a Republican, warned Khamenei of US intervention in the region, saying it would result in his death if he continued to “kill and terrorise” the people of the Islamic Republic. “To the People of Iran, we stand with you tonight. We stand for you taking back your country from the Ayatollah, who kills you and terrorises the world. We pray for you. We support you. Donald J. Trump is not Barack Obama. He has your back,” the senator said in the interview. “To the Ayatollah: you need to understand, if you keep killing your people who are demanding a better life, Donald J Trump is going to kill you. To the Ayatollah and his thugs: if you keep killing your people in defiance of President Trump, you are going to wake up dead,” he added.
Graham’s comments come amid heightened tensions following Trump’s threat of an intervention in the protests in Iran. The US president had said that Washington was “locked and loaded” to respond if authorities in the Islamic Republic used violence against peaceful protesters. In a post on Truth Social, Trump had said: “If Iran shoots 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. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” People in Iran continue to protest against rising prices and economic hardship, pouring into the streets across provinces, with some protests escalating into fatal confrontations with security forces, CNN reported.
(With inputs from news agency ANI).
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