Iran’s top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi, issued a controversial fatwa on Sunday targeting former U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The decree, seen by some analysts as incitement to violence, declares that anyone who threatens the leadership or unity of the global Islamic community is a “mohareb,” or enemy of God—a charge under Iranian law punishable by execution, amputation, or exile.
“Those who threaten the leadership and integrity of the Islamic Ummah are to be considered warlords,” Makarem said, concluding with a prayer for divine protection and the return of the Mahdi, a messianic figure in Shiite Islam.
British-Iranian critic Niyak Ghorbani condemned the fatwa as a call for global terrorism. “The West must realise: the Islamic Republic is not only targeting its own people — it is preparing for global violence in the name of religion,” he posted on X.
The fatwa follows the recent “12-Day War,” in which American and Israeli forces dealt heavy blows to Iran’s nuclear program. On June 13, Israeli strikes killed several Iranian nuclear scientists and commanders. In response, Iran launched ballistic missiles toward Israeli cities. The United States then joined the conflict, targeting three nuclear sites.
President Trump said Israeli agents had inspected Iran’s Fordow facility and reported it was “totally obliterated” following U.S. airstrikes. He warned that renewed uranium enrichment by Iran would provoke further action and compared the strikes to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
However, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that Iran’s 400kg stockpile of 60% enriched uranium is now unaccounted for. Trump dismissed the report and said a U.S.-Iran meeting could happen soon. “We may sign an agreement, or we may not. I don’t care,” he remarked.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed that Iran’s nuclear program had suffered major setbacks. But a leaked Defense Intelligence Agency report warned that the delay may only last months and was based on “low confidence” intelligence. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the FBI is investigating the leak and that criminal charges are likely.
