Iran’s top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi, issued a powerful religious decree (fatwa) on June 29, 2025, labeling President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “warlords” or “mohareb”—individuals who wage war against God. He urged Muslims worldwide to oppose them, declaring that any support for these “enemies” is religiously forbidden. Under Iranian law, those termed mohareb can face execution, crucifixion, amputation, or exile.
Makarem Shirazi’s decree followed the 12-day conflict sparked by Israeli airstrikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites on June 13, which reportedly killed key scientists and commanders. Iran retaliated with missile attacks on Israeli cities, and the U.S. later conducted strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities.
British‐Iranian commentator Niyak Ghorbani criticized the fatwa as a state‑sanctioned perpetration of terrorism, warning that Iran’s aggression aims at global violence under religious justification.
