Make enemies regret their words: Iran’s top Shia cleric issues ‘fatwa’ against Trump, Netanyahu

Tehran: Iran’s one of the most senior Shia clerics, Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi, has declared US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “enemies of God” in a newly issued ‘fatwa’ (religious decree) against them.

“Any person or regime that threatens the Leader or Marja (May God forbid) is considered an enemy of God,” the senior Shia cleric said in his fatwa.

According to the semi-official Mehr news agency, in a statement released on Sunday by his office, Shirazi urged Muslims around the world to take a firm stance against such threats, stating that if a “Muslim who abides by his Muslim duty suffer hardship or loss in their campaign, they will be rewarded as a fighter in the way of God, God willing.”

“Any cooperation or support for that enemy by Muslims or Islamic states is haram or forbidden. It is necessary for all Muslims around the world to make these enemies regret their words and mistakes,” the ‘fatwa’ added.

Reports suggest that the fatwa followed after alleged threats by President Trump and Israeli officials against the Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

President Trump, recently on his social media platform, said that he saved Khamenei from “a very ugly and ignominious death” and accused the Iranian Supreme Leader of making a false statement regarding victory over Israel.

Recently, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, in an interview, said that during its 12-day conflict with Iran, Israel sought to eliminate Khamenei, but the opportunity to carry out the operation never came.

“If he had been in our sights, we would have taken him out. We wanted to eliminate Khamenei, but there was no operational opportunity,” said Katz in an interview with Israel’s Channel 13.

The conflict began when Israel launched Operation Rising Lion on June 13, which targeted key Iranian military and nuclear assets.

In retaliation, Iran launched missile attacks on Israeli cities and, later, on US military bases in Qatar and Iraq. Tehran’s move followed American strikes on its nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.

Twelve days into the conflict, Trump declared a ceasefire between the two nations, which was also followed by an exchange of brief military action between Iran and Israel.

–IANS