Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi, Iran’s top Shiite cleric, issued a fatwa condemning U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin, Netanyahu as ‘enemies of God,’ calling on Muslims to oppose them amid rising tensions between the Islamic Republic and Israel, as well as the United States. The religious decree, which was released on Sunday, has drawn condemnation from some experts who argue that it may incite terrorism.
The fatwa, as reported by the New York Sun, warns that any individual or government that challenges or endangers the leadership and unity of the global Islamic community—the Ummah—should be regarded as a ‘warlord’ or ‘mohareb,’ which translates to someone who wages war against God. Under Iranian law, those identified as mohareb could face severe punishments, including execution, crucifixion, limb amputation, or exile.
Speaking in the ruling, Makarem Shirazi stated, ‘Those who threaten the leadership and integrity of the Islamic Ummah are to be considered warlords,’ and concluded with a prayer seeking protection from these perceived ‘enemies’ and for the swift return of the Mahdi, a key figure in Shiite Islam. The timing of this fatwa comes in the wake of heightened tensions following what has been called the ’12-Day War,’ during which U.S. and Israeli forces reportedly inflicted significant damage on Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
British-Iranian commentator Niyak Ghorbani criticized the fatwa, describing it as a state-sanctioned incitement to global terrorism. Ghorbani, who posted on his X account, stated that the Islamic Republic’s aggression is not limited to domestic dissent but signals broader international ambitions for religiously motivated violence.
Further escalating the situation, Iran has called Israeli strikes a ‘declaration of war’ and has swiftly replaced killed military leaders in response to the attacks. The conflict, which began with Israeli airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear and military facilities on June 13, reportedly killed top scientists and commanders. In retaliation, Iran launched ballistic missiles at Israeli cities, and the U.S. subsequently struck three Iranian nuclear sites a week later, according to reports.
American President Donald Trump had earlier warned that any further uranium enrichment by Iran to weapons-grade levels would provoke additional U.S. action. The warning followed a brief ceasefire that ended the 12-day period of intense conflict.
This fatwa is not the first instance of Iranian clerics using religious decrees to incite violence. The most notable case was the 1989 decree against author Salman Rushdie following the release of his controversial novel ‘The Satanic Verses,’ which many Muslims found offensive. The fatwa led to Rushdie’s hiding, the murder of a Japanese translator, and multiple attacks on the book’s publishers. Rushdie has survived multiple assassination attempts since, including a 2023 stabbing in upstate New York, which left him with a lost eye.