Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Tuesday suggested that the Trump administration might take more aggressive action to help the people of Iran amid the government’s brutal crackdown on nationwide protests.
During an appearance with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Graham praised Trump’s approach to Iran, calling him “Reagan plus.” He said the president is “a man of peace, but not to be trifled with.”
The senator said Trump sent a message to those protesting in Iran to “keep protesting, help is on the way.”
Graham pointed out that the Iranian regime “is the largest state sponsor of terrorism” and that “they killed probably 30,000 of their people.”
The lawmaker then stated, “Help will be on the way. I’m not going to say any more.”
Graham then pointed out that “the Mullahs in Iran are now trying to reach Donald Trump and make some last-minute deal.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham tells Iranians that help is on the way after a naval strike force arrived in the region on Saturday.
— Jeff Charles, Asker of Questions🏴 (@jeffcharlesjr) January 28, 2026
“Help will be on the way. I’m not going to say any more.” pic.twitter.com/XaEVm4uSEk
Graham’s remarks come amid speculation that the Trump administration might intervene militarily in the region. The White House ordered the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group into U.S. Central Command waters, which places it within striking distance of Iran.
President Trump announced on Wednesday that a “massive armada” is headed to Iran and that if Tehran does not agree to a new nuclear deal, any future strike would be “far worse” than the airstrikes he ordered in June 2025.
Inhumane. Ruthless. Lethal violence. A young woman beaten by plainclothes forces. As Iran’s internet slowly comes back online, more footage of what happened during the protests is emerging. The scale of the tragedy is far greater than what has been reported so far. #IranMassacare pic.twitter.com/BaB9xhyBlk
— Omid Memarian (@Omid_M) January 23, 2026
The show of force comes as Iran deals with the biggest protest movement in the nation’s history. The protests started in late December over economic grievances and quickly turned into an anti-regime uprising. The regime has killed between 6,000 and 20,000 people since the unrest began.
The Treasury Department has already taken action against the regime, ramping up sanctions targeting Iran’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers and associated front companies.
The Times reveals the awful truth: 16,500 protesters killed and 330,000 injured.Two weeks of protests in Iran have caused more civilian deaths than two years of war in Gaza. Yet the world looks the other war, pic.twitter.com/uqZy1SMriO
— David Vance (@DVATW) January 21, 2026
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have both said they will not allow the U.S. to use their airspace, territory, or territorial waters to carry out airstrikes on Iran, Reuters reported. They have called for de-escalation out of concern that the conflict could spill out of Iran and into other parts of the Middle East.