Sen. Lindsey Graham is raising alarms that the Iranian regime is continuing to kill anti-government protesters at a rapid pace, directly contradicting President Donald Trump’s assertion that Tehran has halted executions amid pressure from the United States.
In a post on the social platform X, Graham said all available evidence points to ongoing violence by Iranian authorities against demonstrators. “Every indication that I’ve seen says that the Iranian regime’s killing of protesters is still very much in full swing,” Graham wrote. “The death toll is mounting by the hour. Hoping that help is on the way.”
Graham, who has grown increasingly influential within the Trump administration on foreign policy matters, made clear that he wants the president to move forward with plans to strike Iran as a way to deter what he described as a brutal and escalating crackdown. His comments came shortly after Trump told reporters that executions in Iran were stopping due to the prospect of U.S. military action.
“We’ve been told that the killing in Iran is stopping — it’s stopped — it’s stopping,” Trump said Wednesday. “And there’s no plan for executions, or an execution, or execution — so I’ve been told that on good authority.”
Graham, however, has continued to press for a tougher approach, urging the administration to use “any means necessary” to punish Iranian officials responsible for ordering deadly repression against protesters. Demonstrations have spread across the country in response to worsening economic conditions and rising inflation, with security forces responding violently.
“People often ask me what should we do next when it comes to the murderous, religious Nazi regime in Iran,” Graham wrote in another post on X. “It’s pretty simple. Stand by the protesters demanding an end to their oppression. But it’s going to take more than spending by them. We must stop those who are responsible for killing the people by any means necessary ASAP.”
Graham framed his position as one rooted in protecting ordinary Iranians, ending his post with a slogan-style appeal: “Make The Iranian People Safe Again.”
Not everyone in Washington agrees with that approach. Democrats and some Republicans are warning that U.S. military strikes could backfire, strengthening the regime by allowing it to shift blame onto the United States. Sen. Tim Kaine cautioned against repeating past mistakes, arguing that foreign intervention can undermine popular movements from within.
“Let’s learn a lesson from Syria,” Kaine said. “The Syrian people toppled Bashar al-Assad, it was kind of a surprise to most people. It wasn’t the U.S. military that did it.” He warned that heavy-handed U.S. involvement could allow Iran’s leaders to claim their suffering is the result of American interference.
“The use of U.S. military would be a huge mistake,” Kaine added.
Republican Sen. Rand Paul also urged caution, saying many Iranians, especially younger people, currently view the United States favorably and see it as something to emulate. He warned that bombing Iran could quickly reverse that sentiment.
“If you were to bomb Iran, I think that the response may be the opposite,” Paul said. “The people may see foreign bombs dropping on them and have less of a good, positive feeling toward America.”
The sharp divide highlights an ongoing debate within both parties over how far the United States should go in responding to Iran’s internal repression, even as Graham continues to insist that decisive action is needed to stop what he says is an ongoing massacre of protesters.
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