Overview

• Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi issued the fatwa on June 29, labeling President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu as mohareb and urging Muslims to make them “regret their words and mistakes.”
• The ruling bars any support or cooperation with the two leaders and casts believers who oppose them as mujahid fi sabilillah, promising divine rewards for hardship endured in their path.
• Iran’s Islamic Penal Code classifies mohareb as criminals of war against God and stipulates penalties ranging from execution and crucifixion to amputation of the right hand and left foot or exile.
• Former Trump aide Lev Parnas and a report in the Tehran Times say Grand Ayatollah Noori Hamedani has issued an unconfirmed murder fatwa against Trump in response to his Truth Social comments.
• The fatwas reflect a broader strategy by senior clerics to wield religious authority in escalating geopolitical tensions following recent Israeli air strikes on Iranian sites and subsequent Iranian and US counterstrikes.