Daijiworld Media Network - Tehran
Tehran, Jun 30: In a sharp escalation of rhetoric amid ongoing Middle East tensions, one of Iran’s most senior Shia clerics, Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi, has issued a religious decree — or fatwa — labeling former U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “enemies of God.” The declaration comes as both leaders face mounting criticism in Iran over alleged threats to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The fatwa, announced through a statement by Shirazi’s office and reported by Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency, called on Muslims globally to reject and resist any such threats, framing the campaign as a sacred duty. “Any person or regime that threatens the Leader or Marja (religious authority) is considered an enemy of God,” the cleric stated, emphasizing that Muslims who suffer hardship in opposing such threats would be spiritually rewarded “as a fighter in the way of God.”
The decree went further, declaring that any support or cooperation by Muslims or Islamic states with those labeled as enemies was haram—strictly forbidden in Islam. Shirazi urged the global Muslim community to act decisively and make those responsible for such threats “regret their words and mistakes.”
The timing of the fatwa closely follows a volatile period marked by a 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel, ignited by Israel’s launch of Operation Rising Lion on June 13. The operation targeted Iranian military and nuclear infrastructure, prompting Tehran to retaliate with missile strikes on Israeli cities and U.S. military bases in Qatar and Iraq. In response, the U.S. conducted strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.
Amid this escalation, Trump made provocative remarks on his social media platform, claiming credit for having saved Khamenei from “a very ugly and ignominious death” while accusing the Iranian leader of falsely declaring victory over Israel. Adding fuel to the fire, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz revealed in a recent interview that Israel intended to assassinate Khamenei during the conflict, but lacked the operational window to carry it out. “If he had been in our sights, we would have taken him out,” Katz stated.
The confrontation concluded with a ceasefire brokered after 12 days of hostilities, though sporadic military exchanges followed. However, the political and religious fallout from the conflict continues to intensify, with Shirazi’s fatwa marking a new chapter in the ideological war playing out alongside the military one. The decree is likely to harden positions across the region and could influence both domestic sentiment and broader geopolitical alignments in the Islamic world.