US senator says Iran’s new ayatollah may face same fate as his father

US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has sharply criticised Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, warning that he could meet the same fate as his father, the late Iranian leader Ali Khamenei.

In a post on the social media platform X (Twitter), Graham said the rise of Mojtaba Khamenei does not represent the kind of change the United States hopes to see for Iran and the wider region.

When it comes to the future of the region and that of the Iranian people, the son of the late murderous ayatollah is not the change we’re looking for. He has lived large as the Iranian people have suffered and he’s been on the front lines of pushing hate because he too is a… https://t.co/UbBjxLmXRC

— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) March 8, 2026

“When it comes to the future of the region and that of the Iranian people, the son of the late murderous ayatollah is not the change we’re looking for,” the senator wrote. “He has lived large as the Iranian people have suffered and he’s been on the front lines of pushing hate because he too is a religious Nazi.”

Graham added that he believes it is “just a matter of time” before the new Iranian leader “meets the same fate as his father — one of the most evil men on the planet.”

Addressing the Iranian public, the US lawmaker also urged them to remain resolute, writing: “To the Iranian people: stand firm. Your liberation is at hand.”