Trump poses with 'Make Iran Great Again' hat alongside Lindsey Graham amid protests in Iran

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump was seen holding a signed "Make Iran Great Again" hat alongside Senator Lindsey Graham, as nationwide protests in Iran continued against the regime’s corruption.

In a photo posted on Monday, January 5, by Graham on his X (formerly Twitter) account, the senator was seen flashing a thumbs up next to the POTUS as Trump held the black hat emblazoned with his signature.

Lindsey Graham shows support for 'brave people of Iran who are standing up to tyranny'

Lindsey Graham captioned the X post, "Another great day with @POTUS who has brought America back, stronger than ever, at home and abroad. God bless our Commander in Chief and all of the brave men and women who serve under him."

"I’m proud to be an American. God bless and protect the brave people of Iran who are standing up to tyranny," Graham added.

Graham appeared on Fox News on Sunday after flying back from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate and club in Florida on board Air Force One with the POTUS.

He told Fox’s Trey Gowdy, a former Republican congressman from Graham’s home state of South Carolina, that he hoped Trump would "Make Iran Great Again," while wearing a cap with the inscription Trump had signed at the White House earlier that day.

Graham said, "All the people who have been protesting for the Palestinians, where are you today?" calling Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Khamenei a "religious Nazi."

"The people are in open revolt. They’ve chosen not to live this way anymore. And unlike Obama, President Trump has not turned his back on the people of Iran," he added.

Protests in Iran have spread to more than 220 locations across 26 of 31 provinces, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported on Monday. Around 20 people have been killed, and more than 990 have been arrested, the group mentioned. 

Interestingly, what started as protests over economic hardship quickly escalated, with demonstrators chanting anti-government slogans. 

In December, the Iranian government introduced a new pricing tier for its heavily subsidized gasoline, raising the cost of some of the world’s cheapest fuel and adding to public anger.

Moreover, Tehran has signaled that further increases may follow, with officials now set to review fuel prices every three months.

The protests in Iran have continued even after Khamenei, on Saturday, said that "rioters must be put in their place."

Trump praised for supporting anti-regime protesters in Iran

Foreign policy analysts Dr Walid Phares and Steve Yates praised Trump for showing his support toward anti-regime protesters in Iran.

The commander-in-chief took to Truth Social on Friday, and wrote, "If Iran shots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go."

On Newsmax on Friday, the host discussed with Phares, a commentator on world conflicts and international relations who served in Trump's 2016 campaign, and Yates, a Senior Research Fellow for China and National Security Policy at The Heritage Foundation, the ongoing protests in Iran. She asked them what they thought about Trump's statement.

Phares said, "Looks like our President very quickly showed that powerful tweet and committed that if the regime is gonna go the route of Asad, we will do something about it."

The host asked Yates if the Iranian regime is listening to the open warning sent by the POTUS, and he said, "I think they have to listen. I am not entirely sure what 'locked and loaded' means at this point. But I do think that it is extremely important that the United States at least find ways to support the communication and coordination, and the resilience of the freedom movement inside Iran."

He added, "That is the best path to regional peace and prosperity there could be if we are going to have peace and prosperity. I think it is coherently consistent with what the President was trying to do with the Abraham Accords, but also trying to make sure there aren't malign influences to spill over."

Phares also said, "The most formidable weapon, which is not arms, that we have is our president. The president has now given us the tip of the iceberg, and if he follows it with an actual speech from the White House to the Iranian people, we don't need to be on the ground. 200 to 300 Iranians are on the ground, and what they have to hear is the most powerful person in the world right now, which is Donald Trump."