US : Senator Lindsey Graham calls Iran’s top leader Khamenei a “religious Nazi who kills his people”
US: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, has received a severe warning from US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham that President Donald Trump may take deadly action if Iranian officials continue to murder or hurt demonstrators.
In addition, he called Khamenei a “religious Nazi who terrorizes the world and kills his own people.”
In reference to the recent anti-regime demonstrations that have erupted around Iran after a precipitous drop in the value of the Iranian rial relative to the US dollar, Graham made the comments during a Tuesday night interview on Fox News.
Beginning on December 28, protests swiftly expanded to a number of towns and cities, some of which descended into violence and resulted in altercations with security personnel. As of Wednesday, Fox News reports that the rioting has resulted in at least 36 fatalities and over 2,000 arrests.
During his presentation on “The Sean Hannity Show,” Graham addressed Iranians, saying, “To the people of Iran: we stand with you tonight.”
He said, “We stand for you taking your country back from the Ayatollah, a religious Nazi who kills his own people and terrorises the world.”
“If you keep killing your people who are just asking for a new and better life, then it will be Donald J. Trump’s killing,” the US senator said, directing his criticism at Iran’s leadership. Additionally, he tried to comfort demonstrators by stating, “Help is on the way.”
Graham’s remarks coincided with increased rhetoric between Tehran and Washington. Trump has previously warned that if Iranian protesters were still “shot,” the US may intervene.
“The United States of America will come to their rescue if Iran shoots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom,” Trump cautioned in a post on Truth Social. We’re loaded, locked, and prepared to go.”
According to Fox News, Trump’s warning became even more important for Tehran when the United States recently captured and extradited Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in Venezuela.
Iran’s military command warned Tuesday in response to the increasing rhetoric. “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,” Major General Amir Hatami stated while addressing students at a military college.
He said, “I can say with certainty that Iran’s military forces are significantly more prepared now than they were before to the war. If the adversary makes a mistake, we will respond more forcefully and chop off the aggressor’s hand.”