ISTANBUL

US Sen. Lindsey Graham warned that US President Donald Trump would “kill” Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, if they continue cracking down on protesters in Iran demanding a better life.”

“To the Ayatollahs: you need to understand—if you keep killing your people who are demanding a better life—Donald J. Trump is going to kill you,” Graham said in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday.

Graham said “change is coming to Iran,” describing it as the biggest shift “in the history of the Mideast to get rid of this Nazi regime.”

“To the people of Iran, help is on the way,” the senator added.

Iran has been rocked by widespread protests in recent weeks amid a deteriorating economy and the rapid depreciation of the rial, which has crossed 1,350,000 against the US dollar.

There have also been incidents of violence, with reports of several deaths, including those of protesters and police officers in different cities.

The senator’s warning comes as Khamenei acknowledged that protesters’ demands are fair but said that rioting will not be tolerated.

The government has held several rounds of talks with representatives of shopkeepers in an effort to address the situation, which has taken an especially ugly turn in the capital, Tehran.

Trump said that Washington would “come to the rescue” of protesters if Tehran uses lethal force against them, a remark that sparked angry reactions from top Iranian officials.