US President Donald Trump has reposted a blistering warning from Senator Lindsey Graham to Iran's leaders, as deadly anti-government protests continue to rage in Tehran. Graham's post was in response to a message of support for the Iranian people from Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Trump used his Truth Social platform to amplify the Republican senator's message, which compared the Iranian regime to 'religious Nazi henchmen.' The move escalates Washington's war of words with Tehran amidst a brutal crackdown that has seen over 200 demonstrators killed.
Regime Threatens Protesters With Death
On Saturday, Rubio wrote on X, 'The United States supports the brave people of Iran.'
Graham quoted this, adding: 'Well said Secretary Rubio. This is truly not the Obama administration when it comes to standing up to the Iranian ayatollah... and standing behind the people of Iran protesting for a better life. To the regime leadership: your brutality against the great people of Iran will not go unchallenged. Make Iran Great Again.'
On the same day, Tehran warned that protesters would be considered 'enemies of God.' Under the Islamic Republic's law, this is a crime that carries the death penalty.
Trump had expressed his own solidarity with Iranians earlier in the week, threatening intervention. 'You better not start shooting because we'll start shooting too,' he said.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei responded to Trump's warning, accusing him of having 'hands stained with the blood of Iranians.' In remarks on Friday, Khamenei called the demonstrators 'terrorists' as his supporters chanted 'Death to America.'
I am so proud of @POTUS and @SecRubio for being in the corner of the people of Iran and their protests against oppression.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 10, 2026
The Make Iran Great Again hat that I showcased with President Trump has clearly become – in his own words now – a symbol of support for the protestors.… pic.twitter.com/StCza1oAem
Exiled Crown Prince Emerges
The ongoing protests, which first broke out on 28 December 2025, were originally due to the state of the Islamic Republic's economy. It had since evolved into calls for regime change. Amidst the protests, its exiled crown prince, Reza Pahlavi, the son of the Shah, is seeking to play a part in the country's future, according to the Associated Press.
Pahlavi, who has been in exile for nearly 50 years, has called for further demonstrations, with his messages being rebroadcast by Farsi news channels and websites. Despite his efforts to position himself as a key figure, it remains to be seen whether he still has significant support inside Iran. Iranian state media has often mocked Pahlavi, calling him out of touch and corrupt.
'Over the past decade, Iran's protest movement and dissident community have been increasingly nationalist in tone and tenor,' said Iran expert Behnam Ben Taleblu of the Foundation for Defence and Democracies.
'The more the Islamic Republic has failed, the more it has emboldened its antithesis. The success of the crown prince and his team has been in drawing a sharp contrast between the normalcy of what was and the promise of what could be versus the nightmare and present predicament that is the reality for so many Iranians.'
President @realDonaldTrump is exactly right.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 9, 2026
He is standing with the people of Iran against brutal oppression from the murderous Iranian regime.
Make Iran Great Again. pic.twitter.com/5HAlSn8Inb
