E-Paper
‘Donald Trump's gonna kill you’: US senator's warning to Iran's Ayatollah amid protests
The protests in Iran, which erupted on December 28 after the country's currency rial hit a record low against the US dollar, have now spread nationwide.
United States Republican Senator Lindsey Graham warned Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that President Donald Trump will "kill" him if the protestors in Iran were continued to be killed or harmed.
While appearing on Fox News on Tuesday night, Graham said that the US stood with the people of Iran, who are currently protesting nation-wide over economic woes. He even called Ayatollah a “religious Nazi”.
"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," Graham told Fox News' host Sean Hannity.
"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.
Graham also issued a message for the citizens of Iran and said, “Help is on the way”.
Also read: Iran army chief vows to ‘cut off hands’ of invader after Trump threatens to intervene over protests
Protests in Iran
The protests in Iran, which erupted on December 28 after the country's currency rial hit a record low against the US dollar, have now spread nationwide.
Also read: As unrest continues to rattle Iran, President calls for a key ‘distinction’
The protests have also led to clashes with Iran's security forces, due to which, at least 39 people have been killed so far and over 2,000 people have been detained, according to US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.
Wednesday saw one of the one of the most intense and broadest show of protest by Iranians, as 37 protests took place across the country, news agency AP reported citing activists.
Trump vs Iran
Graham's remarks came amid a heated back and forth between the Iranian regime and US President Trump, after the latter threatened to intervene if protestors in Iran were continued to be “shot”.
"If Iran shots 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!" Trump wrote in a post on X.
Following this, the head of Iran's military Maj. Gen. Amir Hatami, said on Tuesday, "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," reported Fox News.
