A senior Iranian religious authority has issued a controversial fatwa declaring that anyone who threatens Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is “an enemy of Allah,” specifically naming U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as targets of divine wrath.
Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi, one of Iran’s most influential Shiite clerics, issued the religious ruling in response to perceived threats from both leaders against Iran’s supreme leader. The fatwa calls on Muslims worldwide to “make these enemies regret their words and mistakes,” according to Iran’s state-run Mehr News Agency.
The religious decree describes Trump and Netanyahu as “enemies of Allah” and warns that anyone who threatens or attempts to harm Iran’s Supreme Leader will face divine punishment. Shirazi’s ruling goes further, declaring that individuals or governments challenging the leadership of the global Islamic community (the Ummah) should be regarded as “warlords” or “mohareb” – defined in Islamic law as those who wage war against Allah.
Under Iranian law, those identified as mohareb can face execution, crucifixion, limb amputation, or exile. The fatwa concludes with a prayer asking for protection from these “enemies” and the swift return of the Mahdi, a messianic figure in Shiite Islam.
The fatwa comes in response to both Trump and Netanyahu suggesting that eliminating the Ayatollah might be advantageous. During Israel’s recent military strikes on Iran, Trump stated he knew where Khamenei was hiding and called the Iranian leader an “easy target.” However, he added Khamenei was safe “for now.” Similarly, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz had threatened to kill Khamenei during the 12-day Israel-Iran conflict.
While Trump and Netanyahu have considered regime change scenarios in Iran that could potentially include targeting the Ayatollah, both leaders ultimately rejected such direct assassination plans, focusing instead on other forms of pressure and deterrence.
A fatwa is a religious ruling issued by a qualified Islamic scholar on how to interpret Islamic law in specific circumstances. These rulings are responses to questions posed by individuals or communities seeking religious guidance on contemporary issues.
The binding nature of fatwas varies significantly within Islamic jurisprudence. In Sunni Islam, fatwas are generally considered advisory opinions that Muslims may choose to follow based on their respect for the issuing scholar’s authority and knowledge. However, in Shiite Islam, particularly within Iran’s theocratic system, fatwas from senior clerics like Grand Ayatollahs carry considerably more weight and are often treated as binding religious obligations by followers.
The authority of a fatwa depends largely on the issuing cleric’s scholarly credentials, the consensus among religious authorities, and the specific madhab (school of Islamic jurisprudence) being followed. Many mainstream Islamic scholars worldwide reject fatwas that call for violence or political assassinations.
Khosro K. Isfahani, a senior research analyst at the National Union for Democracy in Iran, compared Shirazi’s fatwa to the infamous 1989 fatwa issued against author Salman Rushdie by Iran’s then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini. That fatwa, which called for Rushdie’s execution over his novel “The Satanic Verses,” led to decades of death threats and culminated in a serious stabbing attack on Rushdie in New York in 2022.
Isfahani noted the significance of this new fatwa, stating it “directly named Trump” and emphasized that “unlike the nonexistent fatwa against nukes, this one is real” – referring to claims that Iran’s supreme leader had issued a fatwa prohibiting nuclear weapons, which many experts dispute.
Throughout modern history, several political leaders have been targeted by fatwas that ultimately led to their assassinations:
Anwar Sadat (Egypt, 1981) – The Egyptian president was killed by members of Egyptian Islamic Jihad after Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman issued a fatwa declaring Sadat an apostate for making peace with Israel through the Camp David Accords.
Benazir Bhutto (Pakistan, 2007) – The former Pakistani prime minister was assassinated by the Pakistani Taliban after radical clerics condemned her as “un-Islamic” for her pro-Western policies and support for women’s rights.
Mahmoud Mohammed Taha (Sudan, 1985) – The Islamic reformer was executed after being declared an apostate by Sudanese religious authorities.
Farag Foda (Egypt, 1992) – The secularist intellectual was murdered after being condemned by clerics linked to Al-Azhar University.
Various extremist groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda have also issued pseudo-fatwas to justify targeting political leaders, including Syria’s Bashar al-Assad and numerous Iraqi officials during the Iraq War.
The escalating tensions have sparked debate among American political figures about the appropriate response to Iranian threats. Last week, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson questioned whether U.S. attacks on Iran were justified, suggesting they could provoke harsh retaliation. When Senator Ted Cruz countered that Iran had actively plotted to kill the U.S. president, Carlson responded with skepticism, doubting the claim’s validity. However, Carlson then stated, “We should attack Iran immediately if that’s true,” highlighting the contentious nature of how America should respond to Iranian aggression and assassination plots.
The fatwa against Trump comes amid years of escalating tensions between Iran and both the United States and Israel. Iranian officials have reportedly been plotting to kill Trump since he ordered the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s Quds Force, in January 2020.
In November 2024, the U.S. Justice Department announced charges against Farhad Shakeri, a 51-year-old Afghan national allegedly tasked by Iranian officials to surveil and assassinate Trump. Trump himself has acknowledged receiving briefings on “real and specific threats from Iran.”
Despite these allegations, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has denied any assassination plots, telling NBC in January that Iran “never attempted” to kill Trump and “never will,” calling such claims “schemes that Israel and other countries are designing to promote Iranophobia.”
The issuance of this fatwa represents a significant escalation in the religious and political conflict between Iran and its adversaries. Unlike typical diplomatic tensions, religious fatwas carry theological weight that can inspire individual actors to take violent action, even without direct state sponsorship.
The international community will likely view this development as a serious security concern, potentially leading to increased protective measures for both Trump and Netanyahu, as well as heightened scrutiny of Iranian religious and political activities worldwide.
As tensions continue to escalate in the Middle East, this fatwa serves as a stark reminder of how religious authority can be weaponized in geopolitical conflicts, blurring the lines between spiritual guidance and political warfare.
