Iranian Grand Ayatollah Issues Fatwa Calling for Trump’s Assassination: A Dangerous Escalation in Tehran’s Hostility Toward the U.S.
Tehran, Iran / Washington, D.C. — In a move that sharply escalates tensions between the United States and Iran, Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi, one of the Islamic Republic’s most senior clerics, issued a religious fatwa on June 29 calling for the assassination of former U.S. President Donald J. Trump.
The unprecedented decree, which amounts to an Islamic legal order, urges Muslims across the globe to carry out what Shirazi’s office described as “just retribution” against Trump. The fatwa was disseminated across major Iranian state-run and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)-aligned media outlets, including Fars News, ISNA, and Tasnim News. The family of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini — the founding father of the Islamic Republic — appeared to support the edict by allowing its publication on their affiliated website Jamaran.
Text of the Edict: Trump Labeled “Enemy of Allah”
The fatwa stems from an estefta — a formal religious query submitted to Shirazi — asking whether it is permissible to kill Trump due to his alleged threats against Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior clerics. Shirazi responded by branding Trump and Israel’s leadership as Mohareb — enemies of God — and declared that Muslims who act against them “will be rewarded as Mojaeh [holy warriors] in the path of Allah.”
The ruling calls on “Muslims of the world” to make Trump and his alleged allies “regret their words and their wrongdoing,” framing the fatwa not as a political directive but as a divine commandment.
Context and Precedent: Echoes of Salman Rushdie
This is not the first time Iran’s religious establishment has weaponized fatwas as tools of extrajudicial violence. In 1989, Ayatollah Khomeini issued a similar fatwa against British-Indian author Salman Rushdie, accusing him of blasphemy for his novel The Satanic Verses. Though Rushdie evaded harm for decades, he was stabbed in 2022 in New York by an assailant, Hadi Matar, who later stated he was motivated by the fatwa. Matar was sentenced earlier this year to 25 years in prison for attempted murder.
The recent fatwa against Trump raises concerns that similar violent outcomes could follow, either through Iranian intelligence operations abroad or lone-wolf actors radicalized by such rhetoric.
U.S. and Expert Reaction: Warning Signals and Escalating Risk
The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), a Washington-based think tank focused on national security and Iran policy, issued strong statements in response to the fatwa.
“With this fatwa, Tehran aims to inspire everyone from its transnational terror cadres to lone-wolf radicals to attack Trump,” said Behnam Ben Taleblu, Senior Director of the Iran Program at FDD. “It is a message to both external enemies and internal dissenters: defying the supreme leader carries mortal consequences.”
Alexandria Paolozzi, Director of Government Relations at FDD Action, warned, “Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. These threats are not idle. They mirror the regime’s longstanding playbook of exporting violence.”
Janatan Sayeh, a research analyst also with FDD, noted that while similar threats have surfaced since Trump’s 2020 decision to order the drone strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, the latest fatwa is more personal and pointed. “This ruling intensifies the already dangerous environment for political dissent — both inside Iran and abroad,” Sayeh said.
Broader Implications: Diplomacy Deadlock and Regional Tension
This edict comes at a time of rising instability in the Middle East. Iran’s proxies, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and various Shia militias in Iraq and Syria, have grown increasingly emboldened in recent months. The fatwa could function as a call to action for these groups or even inspire actors beyond Tehran’s direct control.
U.S. intelligence officials have not commented publicly on whether there is a credible threat to Trump’s safety, but sources inside the Department of Homeland Security confirmed to South Florida Media that protective protocols for all former presidents have been reevaluated in light of the fatwa.
Despite increasing Western pressure on Iran over its nuclear program and regional aggression, the regime continues to double down on religious extremism and anti-American rhetoric.
Conclusion: A Dangerous Path Forward
The fatwa against Donald Trump is more than an ideological outburst — it’s a strategic escalation rooted in Tehran’s long history of blending theology with statecraft and violence. Whether or not any actor attempts to carry it out, the edict serves as a reminder that Iran’s clerical leadership remains both deeply radical and resolutely hostile toward American power and its symbols.
As diplomatic solutions remain elusive and threats grow more explicit, the international community — and especially U.S. policymakers — will be forced to confront the stark reality that Iran’s ideological war against the West is not confined to rhetoric. It is active, global, and increasingly personal.
