'When Trump promises something, he...': US Senator's message for Iranians amid tensions

US Senator Lindsey Graham said on Wednesday (Jan 28) that President Donald Trump would deliver on his promise to support the Iranian people. “When Donald Trump promises you something, he will deliver. To the Iranian people, President Trump has your back,” Graham said in an interview with Fox News.

“I hope he can find a deal to end the bloodshed in Iran, but Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism,” he added.

Meanwhile, the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a congressional hearing on the same day, "I think regimes, including that one in Iran, have learned that when you start shooting people in the head with snipers, it's effective."

"I mean, it works, and they've done it, and it's horrifying," he added. "That regime is probably weaker than it has ever been, and the core problem they face, unlike the protests you saw in the past on some other topics, is that they don't have a way to address the core complaints of the protesters, which is that their economy is in collapse," he further said.

This came after Iran's mission to the United States said on Wednesday (Jan 28) that Tehran is ready for dialogues with Washington - but with mutual respect. This was said on X in response to US President Donald Trump's post about a US naval armada heading toward Iran. “In the last time the US blundered into wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, it squandered over $7 trillion and lost more than 7,000 American lives,” the mission said in a post on X, adding: “Iran stands ready for dialogue based on mutual respect and interests,” it said. “But if pushed, it will defend itself and respond like never before.”

Meanwhile, an Iranian deputy foreign minister said that negotiations with the US are not Tehran's priority right now. Kazem Gharibabadi said Iran’s priority is “200 percent readiness to defend” the country and warned that any limited US attack would be met with “an appropriate response.”