Iran's Top Cleric Issues Fatwa Against Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, Calls Them ‘Enemies of God’

Tel Aviv: A top Shiite cleric in Iran has issued a fatwa, which is a religious decree against US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, branding them as "enemies of God" and calling for united Muslim resistance.

Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi, a senior religious figure in Iran, said in his statement that any individual or government threatening Iran's Supreme Leader or Shia religious leaders (Marja) is considered a mohareb, or someone who wages war against God—a crime that can carry extreme punishments under Iranian law.

According to Iranian news agency Mehr, Makarem stated, “Any person or regime that threatens the Leader or Marja (May God forbid) is considered a warlord or mohareb.” Under Iranian Islamic law, punishment for a mohareb can include execution, amputation, crucifixion, or exile.

He also warned that supporting Trump or Netanyahu in any form is forbidden for Muslims. “It is necessary for Muslims across the world to make these enemies regret their actions,” the fatwa added.

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Religious Order Follows 12-Day Iran-Israel Conflict

The decree comes shortly after a 12-day war between Iran and Israel that began on June 13. Israeli airstrikes reportedly targeted senior Iranian military figures and scientists linked to its nuclear programme. In response, Iran fired ballistic missiles at Israeli cities.

The conflict escalated when the United States joined Israeli forces to attack three nuclear facilities in Iran. Tehran retaliated by launching missile strikes on an American military base in Qatar.

The fatwa states that any Muslim who suffers loss or hardship while acting on this decree will be spiritually rewarded as someone “fighting in the path of God.”

What Is a Fatwa?

A fatwa is a formal religious opinion issued by a senior Islamic scholar, known as a Marja in Shia Islam. Though not a legal ruling, it carries spiritual weight for followers and is expected to be followed by Islamic communities and governments.

This is not the first time Iran has used a fatwa as a political weapon. In 1989, Iran’s then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for the death of author Salman Rushdie for his book The Satanic Verses, which many Muslims saw as blasphemous. That order led to violent attacks on translators and publishers and forced Rushdie into hiding. He survived multiple assassination attempts, including a stabbing in 2023 that left him blind in one eye.