Senator Lindsey Graham has warned US President Donald Trump that he will "kill" Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei if the Iranian government continues to crack down on protesters demanding a better life.
"To the Ayatollahs, you have to understand this, if you continue to kill your people who demand a better life, Donald J. Trump will kill you," Graham said in an interview with Fox News.
Graham said "change is coming to Iran," which he described as the biggest shift "in the history of the Middle East to get rid of this Nazi regime."
"To the people of Iran, help is on the way," he added.
Iran has been rocked by massive protests in recent weeks amid worsening economic conditions and a weakening of the rial exchange rate, which has exceeded 1,350,000 per US dollar.
A number of violent incidents were also reported, with several deaths, including protesters and police in various cities.
Graham's warning came after Khamenei acknowledged the protesters' legitimate demands, but insisted that the riots would not.
The Iranian government has held several rounds of talks with representatives of traders and shop owners to ease the situation, which has been said to have worsened, especially in the capital Tehran.
Trump earlier said Washington would "come to the rescue" of the protesters if Tehran used lethal force against them. The statement triggered a strong reaction from senior Iranian officials.
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