{"id":2537754,"date":"2026-01-15T10:40:02","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T15:40:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/graham-insists-iran-death-toll-is-mounting-5\/"},"modified":"2026-01-15T10:42:01","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T15:42:01","slug":"graham-insists-iran-death-toll-is-mounting-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/graham-insists-iran-death-toll-is-mounting-5\/","title":{"rendered":"Graham insists Iran death toll is &#8216;mounting&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgraham-insists-iran-death-toll-is-mounting-5%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2537754&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Sen. Lindsey Graham warned that Iran&#8217;s killing of protesters is &#8220;mounting by the hour,&#8221; contradicting President Trump&#8217;s statement that Tehran had halted planned executions. Trump said he had been told &#8220;on good authority&#8221; there were no execution plans, though his comment referred specifically to hangings and not to broader killings. Graham, posting on X, disputed reports that the U.S. had backed off from possible strikes and said decisive action remained under consideration. Overnight reports of military movements and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kushner-nominated-for-nobel-peace-prize\/\" title=\"Kushner Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize\">fighter jets<\/a> over Iraq raised speculation,but no major strikes occurred by Thursday morning; the USS abraham Lincoln carrier strike group was reported en route from the Pacific,a transit expected to take about a week. Arab countries including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Egypt, and Turkey urged restraint and were reluctant to allow U.S. use of their airspace, which may limit U.S. options. Iran&#8217;s prolonged internet blackout has made independent verification arduous; casualty estimates from the crackdown vary widely, from about 500 to as many as 12,000.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Graham insists Iran death toll is &lsquo;mounting&rsquo; after uncertainty over potential strikes<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2473091\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/lindsey-graham\/\">Lindsey Graham<\/a> (R-SC) insisted that the death toll in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\/\">Iran<\/a> is &ldquo;mounting by the hour,&rdquo; despite President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump&rsquo;s<\/a> claim that Tehran had halted executions.<\/p>\n<p>Trump seemed to downplay the current level of violence surrounding the protests on Wednesday and Thursday, pointing to claims that Tehran had halted its scheduled execution of protesters. Graham signaled a different understanding in a message Wednesday night, saying the violence hadn&rsquo;t abated.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4418378\/two-venezuelan-women-vying-for-trump-support-to-lead-country\/\">The two Venezuelan women vying for Trump&#8217;s support to lead the country after Maduro capture<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4418849\/iran-promises-trump-not-hang-protesters\/\">Iran promised Trump not to execute any protesters on day of expected hanging<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4418903\/construction-crane-falls-train-thailand-killing-at-least-32\/\">A construction crane falls onto a moving train in Thailand, killing at least 32 people<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4413856\/america-250-great-american-state-fair-ufc-fight-dc\/\"><strong>AMERICA 250 TO INCLUDE &lsquo;GREAT AMERICAN STATE FAIR&rsquo; AND UFC FIGHT AT HISTORIC DC VENUES<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Every indication that I&rsquo;ve seen says that the Iranian regime&rsquo;s killing of protestors is still very much in full swing. The death toll is mounting by the hour. Hoping that help is on the way,&rdquo; he said in a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/LindseyGrahamSC\/status\/2011627238987608188?s=20\">post<\/a> on X.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Trump said he had been notified &ldquo;pretty strongly&rdquo; that the &ldquo;killing in Iran would be stopping.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no plan for executions &hellip; an execution or executions, so I&rsquo;ve been told that on good authority. We&rsquo;ll find out about that. I&rsquo;m sure if that happens, we&rsquo;ll be very upset, and you&rsquo;ll be upset,&rdquo; he told reporters.<\/p>\n<p>Trump was specifically speaking in the context of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4418849\/iran-promises-trump-not-hang-protesters\/\">being asked about executions<\/a>, rather than the killing of protesters more generally. The <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> reached out to the White House for clarification on his claim and further comment.<\/p>\n<p>Graham also disputed reports early on Thursday morning that Trump had gotten cold feet on striking Iran, or that he had assured Tehran he wouldn&rsquo;t strike.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4362775\/trump-first-year-report-card-promise-keeper-or-nightmare-failure\/\"><strong>TRUMP FIRST YEAR REPORT CARD: A- PROMISE KEEPER OR &lsquo;NIGHTMARE&rsquo; FAILURE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;All the headlines like these are examples of reporting that are beyond inaccurate. The circumstances around the necessary, decisive action to be taken against the evil Iranian regime have nothing to do with President Trump&rsquo;s will or determination,&rdquo; the senator wrote in a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/LindseyGrahamSC\/status\/2011785829165703546?s=20\">post<\/a> on X. &ldquo;Nothing could be further from the truth. Quite the opposite. Stay tuned.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Analysts were sent into a flurry on Wednesday night amid reports of military movements, and even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/graham-insists-iran-death-toll-is-mounting\/\" title=\"... is &#039;...&#039;\">local sources posted unidentified fighter jets flying<\/a> over Iraq. The sun rose on Thursday without any major strikes against Iran, however, with speculation in a fever pitch around what Trump would do next.<\/p>\n<p>Trump may be holding off strikes due to limited options. As of Thursday, no <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >aircraft carrier strike groups<\/a> were in range, and Arab countries were openly skittish about allowing the U.S. to use their airspace to strike Iran over fear of retaliation and the possible destabilizing impact of the Islamic regime&rsquo;s fall. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Egypt, and Turkey have all urged restraint. Arab officials <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/df0c0833-59f6-45d6-a74f-008b46756e72?utm_sf_cserv_ref=18949452&amp;utm_sf_post_ref=651990790\">told<\/a> the <em>Financial Times<\/em> on Thursday that they believed tensions had de-escalated after Wednesday night.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Things have de-escalated for now,&rdquo; one Arab official told the outlet. &ldquo;The US is giving time for talks with Iran and to see where they go from here.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4418849\/iran-promises-trump-not-hang-protesters\/\">IRAN PROMISED TRUMP NOT TO EXECUTE ANY PROTESTERS ON DAY OF EXPECTED HANGING<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Other indications show that Trump may still go through with strikes against Iran in response to its brutal crackdown on protesters. The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group was spotted moving from the Pacific toward the Middle East, which will take about a week. Others noted that Trump is <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Faytuks\/status\/2011778583035838944?s=20\">known to use misleading rhetoric<\/a> in the lead-up to strikes, such as his public statements ahead of Operation Midnight Hammer in June.<\/p>\n<p>Iran&rsquo;s shutdown of the internet for over a week has made it impossible to fully gauge the scale of the violence, but estimates currently hold the number of protesters killed in the crackdown at anywhere from 500 to 12,000.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Graham: Iran death toll &#8216;mounting by the hour<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2653,"featured_media":2537755,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AP25323661244513.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[548,33651,538],"tags":[42848,36930,3823,32283,3970],"class_list":["post-2537754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conservative-news-daily","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-death-toll","tag-human-rights","tag-iran","tag-lindsey-graham","tag-protests"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AP25323661244513.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2537754","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2653"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2537754"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2537754\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2537762,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2537754\/revisions\/2537762"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2537755"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2537754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2537754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2537754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}