People gather during a protest on Jan. 8, 2026, in Tehran, Iran. (Anonymous/Getty Images)
Khamenei's regime has started to crack down on protests and even instituted a sweeping internet blackout to try to quell the unrest. Some have posited that the internet blackout was also meant to impede the spreading of information about and visuals of abuses committed against protesters by regime-backed forces.
Recently, the exiled Iranian crown prince, Reza Pahlavi, has publicly urged President Donald Trump and the U.S. to back protesters in Iran as they fight the decades-old regime.
Sheehy told Fox News Digital he takes the issue personally, saying Iran has participated in the torturing, kidnapping and killing of Americans across the globe, "including friends of mine."
"The Iranian regime are a bunch of murderous b------- who have been chanting ‘death to America’ for the past 46 years. They have backed up this chant by kidnapping, torturing, and killing thousands of Americans all over the world, including friends of mine. For me, it’s personal; it’s time to take out the trash," Sheehy said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital via email.
Rep. Claudia Tenney used a burning photo of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to light a cigar. (Courtesy of Rep. Claudia Tenney's Office)
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"The congresswoman stands firmly with the Iranian people and their demand for dignity and self-determination, and believes their courage must be recognized and amplified. Today, the Iranian people finally have an ally in the White House, President Trump, who has made clear that the United States stands with those fighting for freedom against tyranny," Tenney's office added.
Trump has been vocal about his support for the people of Iran and has warned that the U.S. would be ready to step in if the regime used violence against protesters.
"Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before," the president wrote in a Truth Social post on Jan. 10. "The USA stands ready to help!!!"
Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/republicans-light-cigars-cigarettes-burning-photos-khamenei-show-support-iranian-protesters