Fact Check: Did Iran claim responsibility for Lindsey Graham's death?
WASHINGTON, DC: Following the death of President Donald Trump’s ally and former Senator Lindsey Graham, a rumor began spreading on social media platforms suggesting that Iran had claimed responsibility for Graham’s death, sparking concerns and speculation. Let us analyze the origins of the viral rumor and fact-check the claim’s authenticity.
Claim: Iran has claimed responsibility for Lindsey Graham’s death
According to the viral claim that has been circulating on X, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed responsibility for the death of Lindsey Graham.
A post that shared the claim was accompanied by a grid of portraits that includes Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu, Gulf leaders, US officials like JD Vance, Pete Hegseth, and Marco Rubio, and Israeli figures, with Lindsey Graham crossed out in red, styled as a hit list or elimination roster.
The claim, which has garnered hundreds of thousands of views, has sparked both concern and outrage from users across the US, while many remained skeptical, prompting a fact-check.
Fact Check: False, no such announcements from Iran
Despite making assassination threats, there is no evidence of the Islamic Republic taking responsibility for Graham’s death.
Although the Iranian media celebrated and congratulated its people for Graham’s death, there are no official statements, announcements, or news media reports from the Iranian government, IRGC, or its state media claiming responsibility for the former senator’s death.
"I congratulate the great nation of Iran on Lindsey Graham, the war-mongering, anti-Iranian, US senator, being sent to hell," said the anchor on Iranian state TV, in a video shared by Iran International on X.
A Google search for the claim yielded no credible reports by prominent news media outlets, which, if true, would have made headlines, escalating the conflict between the United States and Iran.
Moreover, according to Graham’s office, he died of a rupture of his aorta, a key artery in the heart, and there is nothing unusual about his death.
Donald Trump's closest ally dies at 71 after brief illness
Graham, one of Trump’s closest allies and a leading voice on US foreign policy, died at the age of 71 after what his office described as a "brief and sudden illness."
The announcement came just days after Graham traveled to Kyiv, Ukraine, where he met President Volodymyr Zelensky and discussed possible pathways to ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
"Senator Graham's family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period," the statement said.
