In a further dramatic escalation of tensions in the Middle East, Iran’s most senior Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi, has issued a fatwa declaring U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “enemies of God.” The religious decree, made public through Iran’s Mehr News Agency, calls on Muslims worldwide to unite against the two leaders for threatening the Islamic Republic’s leadership and sovereignty.

Iran's Ayatollah Shirazi labeled both leaders as mohareb, or warlords who wage war against God—an accusation carrying severe penalties under Iranian law, including execution or exile. “Any person or regime that threatens the Leader or Marja (May God forbid) is considered a mohareb,” he declared.

The fatwa further warned that supporting or cooperating with the U.S. or Israel is haram (forbidden) and called on Muslim nations and individuals to make the two leaders “regret their words and mistakes.” It emphasized that Muslims who suffer loss while resisting such enemies would be rewarded as fighters “in the way of God.”

This decree follows a violent 12-day conflict that began on June 13, when Israel launched airstrikes targeting Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists. Iran responded with ballistic missile attacks on Israeli cities. The conflict escalated dramatically when the U.S. joined Israeli forces in targeting three Iranian nuclear facilities, prompting Iran to retaliate by striking an American military base in Qatar.

Fatwas carry immense religious and political significance in Iran. This is not the first such decree with global ramifications—most famously, the 1989 fatwa against author Salman Rushdie, which led to decades of violence and culminated in a 2023 assassination attempt.

This latest fatwa signals a dangerous turn in geopolitical hostilities, combining theology with high-stakes diplomacy and warfare. Surely, the reaction from the Trump and Netanyahu camps is likely to be aggressive, hence it will lead to a major escalation of hostilities in the region.  

In a further dramatic escalation of tensions in the Middle East, Iran’s most senior Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi, has issued a fatwa declaring U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “enemies of God.” The religious decree, made public through Iran’s Mehr News Agency, calls on Muslims worldwide to unite against the two leaders for threatening the Islamic Republic’s leadership and sovereignty.

Iran's Ayatollah Shirazi labeled both leaders as mohareb, or warlords who wage war against God—an accusation carrying severe penalties under Iranian law, including execution or exile. “Any person or regime that threatens the Leader or Marja (May God forbid) is considered a mohareb,” he declared.

The fatwa further warned that supporting or cooperating with the U.S. or Israel is haram (forbidden) and called on Muslim nations and individuals to make the two leaders “regret their words and mistakes.” It emphasized that Muslims who suffer loss while resisting such enemies would be rewarded as fighters “in the way of God.”

This decree follows a violent 12-day conflict that began on June 13, when Israel launched airstrikes targeting Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists. Iran responded with ballistic missile attacks on Israeli cities. The conflict escalated dramatically when the U.S. joined Israeli forces in targeting three Iranian nuclear facilities, prompting Iran to retaliate by striking an American military base in Qatar.

Fatwas carry immense religious and political significance in Iran. This is not the first such decree with global ramifications—most famously, the 1989 fatwa against author Salman Rushdie, which led to decades of violence and culminated in a 2023 assassination attempt.

This latest fatwa signals a dangerous turn in geopolitical hostilities, combining theology with high-stakes diplomacy and warfare. Surely, the reaction from the Trump and Netanyahu camps is likely to be aggressive, hence it will lead to a major escalation of hostilities in the region.