Iranian state media and regime supporters celebrated the death of US Senator Lindsey Graham on Sunday, with state television presenters smiling on the air and hard-line outlets mocking the late lawmaker, while US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mourned a close ally.“Graham’s death will lead to Iran’s destruction to the grave,” read the headline of a report by regime-affiliated Iranian news agency Tasnim. A state TV host said of the news: “This news is so good I’m reading it twice.” , and that “the warmongering anti-Iran senator has gone straight to hell”.Regime supporters on social media shared a graphic showing several figures allegedly marked for revenge for the February attack on Iran, with Graham’s face crossed out with a red The image contained the words: “We will continue to update.”
Professor Seyed Mohammad Marandi of the University of Tehran shared the announcement of Graham’s death and wrote: “It’s a shame. I wanted him to see the oil prices on Monday before he went to hell.”Iran’s exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi expressed condolences and described Graham as a “steadfast friend of the Iranian people” and a defender of freedom. Graham told a gathering of Iranian opposition supporters in Munich in February: “I choose the Iranian people over the murderous ayatollah. It’s time for him to go.”Pahlavi said that Graham’s support for the Lion of Iran and the Sun Revolution earned him the sobriquet “Uncle Lindsay” among Iranians.
Trump, Netanyahu paid tribute
Trump called Graham “one of the greatest people and senators I have ever known” and a “hard-working patriot.” “Israel has lost one of its greatest friends. America has lost a great patriot. I have lost a dear friend,” Netanyahu said.Graham, 71, died suddenly Saturday evening from what his office described as a “brief and sudden illness.” US media reported that emergency personnel had responded to a call of cardiac arrest at his Capitol Hill home.