Iran's Death Sentence On Trump Is A Declaration Of War

Iran's Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi declared a fatwa against President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on June 29. A fatwa is a religious decree on a matter of Islamic law that is issued by a senior Islamic jurist.

Shirazi holds the rank of a Marja'a-e Taqlid, the highest level of the Iranian Shiite Twelver clergy, meaning one whose theological scholarship has earned him the right to be followed and emulated by acolytes, seminarians, and common people alike. The Twelver sect of Shiite Islam dominates among the senior clerical, juridical, and military ranks of the Islamic Republic of Iran's leadership and refers to those who follow the Twelfth Imam of Shia Islam, identify him as Islam's messianic figure of the Mahdi, but who also believe they can hasten his return to Earth by instigating chaos and warfare on Earth.

While Shirazi issued the original fatwa against Trump and Netanyahu, the following day, on June 30, Grand Ayatollah Hossein Noori Hamedani, also from Qom, issued a similar fatwa that essentially supported Shirazi's. Since then, more than 400 Shiite clerics in the theological seminary city of Qom have backed those two decrees.

Members of the Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom, who are among the senior religious scholars teaching in Qom's many seminaries, have supported the reference to the Islamic crime of mohareb and called Shirazi's fatwa "necessary and timely."

In his ruling, Shirazi stated, "Any person or regime that threatens the Leader or Marja (May God forbid) is considered a 'warlord' or a 'mohareb.'"

He added: "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."

Islamic law (shariah) mandates the death penalty for the crime of mohareb (waging war against God). All charged with mohareb must not only be killed but, according to Quranic verse 5:33, can also face crucifixion, limb amputation, or exile.

All of this is to say that this fatwa is a very serious matter, not just for or within Iran, but because it carries with it the intent to authorize the assassination of Trump and Netanyahu anywhere in the world. While Iranian officials had threatened retaliation against Trump and other senior members of his administration for the January 2020 strike that eliminated Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, this is the first time such an actual religious edict aimed specifically at the president of the United States and the prime minister of Israel has been issued by these senior Shiite clerical figures in Iran.

Adding to the instigation, according to the regime-connected Fars News Agency, an Iranian group called The Blood Covenant, which reportedly operates "under the aegis of the Iranian regime" was launched on July 4, supposedly to defend Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

According to Middle East Media Research Institute website, the Blood Covenant website features an image of President Trump in the crosshairs along with a crowd-funding appeal to reward anyone who actually does assassinate him. The group claimed already to have raised nearly $40.3 million as of July 9.

Additionally, on July 7, a state-appointed cleric in the West Azerbaijan Province of Iran "announced a reward of 100 billion tomans (approximately $1.14 million) for anyone who kills Trump." Mansour Emami, the official Iranian provincial director of the Islamic Propagation Organization of West Azerbaijan, offered the reward for "anyone who brings the head of Trump."

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies reported on yet another public campaign to raise money to be awarded for the assassination of President Trump. An online website that is possibly run by Hossein Abbasifar — who appears to have worked for the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, the regime's main media propaganda outlet — also promoted a multimillion-dollar bounty as "reward for the head of the cursed Trump."

As these calls for the assassination of President Trump continue to spread, along with monetary rewards, it's important to recall earlier U.S. security reporting about Iranian regime targeting of not only President Trump but also other former members of his first administration. These include national security adviser John Bolton; Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; former Defense Secretary Mark Esper; and Brian Hook, former U.S. special representative for Iran.

In June 2023, the Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed sanctions on members and affiliates of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, accusing them of engaging in assassination plots against these officials and others, including dual U.S.-Iran nationals/anti-regime dissidents around the world. Whether any Iranian hit teams remain in the U.S. is a concern that has to be taken seriously.

Open calls for the assassination of the president of the United States constitute a de facto declaration of war against the U.S. They must be recognized and treated as such with measures that include terror designations, expanded sanctions and asset seizures, plus visa revocation for any Iranian regime-linked academics or media figures in the U.S.

Clare M. Lopez is the Founder/President of Lopez Liberty LLC. Read More Clare M. Lopez