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US president renews his threat to hit Iran ‘very hard’ if the country’s security forces kill anti-government protesters.
Published On 5 Jan 2026
United States Senator Lindsey Graham has shared a photo of President Donald Trump holding a signed hat that says “Make Iran Great Again”, fuelling concerns about the possibility of renewed war with Iran.
Graham, a Trump ally and foreign policy hawk, posted the picture on X on Monday, saying that Trump has made the US stronger at home and abroad.
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“God bless our Commander in Chief and all of the brave men and women who serve under him,” the Republican senator wrote.
“I’m proud to be an American. God bless and protect the brave people of Iran who are standing up to tyranny.”
The hat, which repurposes Trump’s motto “Make America Great Again”, appears to be a nod to regime change in Iran.
The photo comes as Trump continues to issue threats to Iran after US forces abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, an ally of Tehran.
The picture was taken as Graham travelled with Trump on board Air Force One from Florida to Washington, DC, late on Sunday.
Earlier, Graham had made a case for toppling the Iranian government in an interview featuring the same hat.
The senator said Trump “has not turned his back on the people of Iran” amid sporadic anti-government protests across the country.
“So I pray and hope that 2026 will be the year that we make Iran great again,” Graham told Fox News as he put on the hat, which also displays an Iranian flag that dates from before the 1979 Islamic revolution.
On Sunday, Trump reiterated his warning that the US would militarily intervene against the Iranian government if security forces kill protesters.
“If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think they’re going to get hit very hard by the United States,” the US president told reporters.
US foreign policy hawks who are portraying themselves as advocates for Iranians protesting against their own government have endorsed the Israeli attack on the country in June, which killed hundreds of civilians.
Iranian officials have dismissed Trump’s threats and warned they will confront any US attacks against their country.
“We will not give in to the enemy,” Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei wrote on X after Maduro was seized in Caracas. “We will bring the enemy to its knees.”
In June, the US joined Israel’s attack on Iran, bombing the country’s three main nuclear sites. Iran responded by firing missiles against a US airbase in Doha that caused damage to the site without resulting in any casualties.
A ceasefire was reached shortly after the Iranian attack.
But last week, Trump threatened to renew the war if Iran tries to rebuild its nuclear programme or missile arsenal.
“Now I hear that Iran is trying to build up again, and if they are, we’re going to have to knock them down,” Trump said. “We’ll knock them down. We’ll knock the hell out of them.”
The brazen US operation in Venezuela has raised speculations that Iran may be Trump’s next target.
