A leading Shiite cleric in Iran issued a religious ruling targeting President Donald Trump on Sunday, which some analysts described as an encouragement for terrorism.
Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi’s fatwa urged Muslims globally to act. It declared that any person or government challenging or jeopardizing the leadership and cohesion of the worldwide Islamic community (the Ummah) should be considered a “warlord” or a “mohareb,” a term for someone who fights against God. Iranian legal code stipulates that individuals deemed mohareb may face penalties such as execution, crucifixion, limb removal, or banishment.
In his decree, Makarem stated, “Those who jeopardize the leadership and unity of the Islamic Ummah are to be classified as warlords.” He concluded by praying for deliverance from these “adversaries” and for the speedy arrival of the Mahdi, a savior figure in Shiite tradition.
Niyak Ghorbani, a British-Iranian commentator, denounced the fatwa, characterizing it as state-sanctioned instigation of international terrorism.
On his X account, he asserted that the Islamic Republic’s aggression extends beyond internal opposition, indicating wider global aspirations.
In his post, he wrote, “The West needs to understand: the Islamic Republic is not merely targeting its own citizens — it is gearing up for global aggression under the guise of religion.”
This religious edict came after what was termed the “12-Day War,” a period during which American and Israeli operations reportedly caused substantial harm to Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
On June 13, Israeli air assaults struck Iranian nuclear and military installations, allegedly resulting in the deaths of senior scientists and commanders. In response, Iran fired ballistic missiles at Israeli urban centers. A week thereafter, the U.S. became involved, hitting three Iranian nuclear locations.
It was indicated that if Iran were to further enrich uranium to weapons-grade purity, it would trigger more American intervention. This caution was issued after a short truce that concluded 12 days of fierce hostilities.
This is not the initial instance of Iranian clerics employing fatwas to encourage violence.
The most notorious example was the 1989 ruling targeting author Salman Rushdie following the publication of his novel “The Satanic Verses,” which many Muslims found blasphemous. That religious edict compelled Rushdie to go into concealment, resulted in the killing of a Japanese translator, and numerous assaults on the book’s publishers. Rushdie has endured several attempts on his life since then, including a 2023 knife attack in upstate New York that cost him an eye.