Regime figures claim Iran murdered Lindsey Graham – and threaten to kill Trump

The hardline newspaper Farhikhtegan, which is closely associated with Iran's conservative establishment, published an image depicting Graham engulfed in flames beneath the headline: "Trump's turn for a sudden illness will come as well."

It came only a day after Mojtaba Khamenei, the son and successor of Iran's former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, issued a statement renewing his pledge to avenge his father's death.

Describing retaliation for the February 28 airstrike that killed his father as "a national demand", Khamenei vowed it "will most certainly be carried out".

Although he did not name President Trump directly, he declared that those responsible would not be allowed to "die peacefully in their beds".

Graham had been one of the most outspoken American politicians welcoming the death of Ali Khamenei. He had also been a prominent supporter of Iranian anti-regime protesters and had appeared alongside supporters of Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, including at a rally in Munich earlier this year.

Mohammad Javad Larijani, a senior conservative politician and close ally of Iran's leadership - whose brother Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and one of the Islamic Republic's most senior political figures, was killed during the recent war - also backed the assassination of American and Israeli officials.

Speaking on Iranian state television on the night Graham's death was announced, Larijani argued that killing those responsible for Khamenei's death should not be viewed as revenge or an emotional response but as a religious obligation under Islamic law and a necessary measure to protect the Islamic Republic.

He said that, just as Iran's diplomats were expected to prevent war, they should also develop a strategy to “eliminate” what he described as the continuing threat posed by those responsible for Khamenei's death. Even if hostilities ceased, he argued, the danger of further "terrorist assassinations" would remain.

"The revenge for the blood of our martyred leader is not driven by anger or emotion," he said. "It is a rational measure to preserve security. If this right is not exercised, the threat of assassination will continue to hang over the security of Iran, the region and even the world."

The threats were echoed across the Iranian establishment.

Rasoul Sanaei-Rad, a senior political adviser in the office of the Supreme Leader, suggested that Americans themselves might eventually kill Trump.

Writing in the IRGC-affiliated newspaper Javan, he said: "To free America from this strategic deadlock, perhaps Americans themselves will eliminate Trump and make the task easier for us."

Hossein Ali Haji Deligani, a member of parliament, openly called for the killing of senior American and Israeli officials.

Referring to Graham's death, he declared that everyone responsible for the killing of Ali Khamenei had been sentenced to “qisas” - Islamic retributive justice - and claimed that Muslims around the world could carry out those sentences without waiting for Iran's judiciary.

He said President Trump should have been targeted during his planned visit to Turkey and insisted that he should be attacked "wherever he is in the world".

Deligani further claimed that individuals inside the White House could eventually carry out what he described as "God's will", adding that Trump was not safe even inside the United States. He also referred to the growing number of bounties reportedly announced for Trump's assassination, saying the threats would ultimately be carried out.

IRGC commander Hossein Kanaani Moghadam also claimed that Iran could assassinate Trump inside the White House.

"If there is a decision to assassinate Trump," he said, "the Islamic Republic can easily do it in the White House. Whenever there is the will, we can carry it out."

He added: "Trump will certainly be assassinated."

Hossein Shariatmadari, editor of Kayhan, the state newspaper widely regarded as the mouthpiece of Iran's Supreme Leader, also celebrated Graham's death in Monday's editorial.

"The Angel of Death got there before we did and settled his account for us," he wrote.

Addressing the ‘Angel of Death’ directly, he added: "If only you had waited a little longer until we arrived, this pious and humanitarian act could have been recorded among our own achievements."

He concluded with an apparent threat against President Trump: "As for Trump, we have more to say, which we will discuss later."

The increasingly explicit calls for violence reflect a broader shift within Tehran following Ali Khamenei's burial. Hopes of reviving negotiations with Washington have largely evaporated, while hardline factions opposed to any accommodation with the United States have become increasingly vocal.

By elevating revenge to a central theme of official rhetoric, the new leadership is not only signalling confrontation abroad but also attempting to consolidate support at home and contain internal divisions over the future direction of the Islamic Republic.

The Zionist Organisation of American National President Morton “Mort” Klein said in a tribute to Graham: “He was a great American patriot and a friend of mine. He was a most sincere and heartfelt friend of and advocate for the Jewish people and the Jewish state. He fought for strong US Israel relations and fought those who were hostile to Israel.

“Sen. Graham also understood the dangers posed by the Islamic Republic of Iran to America and the West and fought to minimise and eliminate that danger. He would always make clear that whatever endangers Israel also endangers America.

“He was also a great orator and extremely witty and funny and a great storyteller.

“What a terrible loss. He will be sorely missed.”