On Sunday, a top Shia religious leader in Iran issued a fatwa against anyone who threatens Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, following multiple threats by Donald Trump and Israeli leaders during and after the recent 12-day war. Numerous reports have alleged that the fatwa — which is a religious edict, or more specifically a clarification of Islamic law — amounted to a call for the assassination of Trump. That’s an exaggeration at best.

On Sunday, multiple media organizations in Iran reported a new fatwa from Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi, one of the top Shia religious authorities in Iran, against anyone who threatens the supreme leader. He issued the ruling in response to a question requesting religious guidance that references recent threats made by Trump and Israeli leaders against Supreme Leader Khamenei, but his fatwa does not mention Trump at all and is instead broadly directly at everyone everywhere.

The fatwa, translated, says that any person or government who threatens the supreme leader is considered a mohareb — which means an enemy combatant of God:

Any individual or regime that, God forbid, seeks to harm the Islamic nation and its sovereignty by threatening or violating the authority of the Supreme Leader and religious leadership is considered a mohareb. Any form of cooperation with or support for such entities by Muslims or Islamic governments is strictly prohibited (haram). It is the duty of all Muslims around the world to make these enemies regret their words and actions.

The edict also says that anyone who “endures harm or loss in this cause” will be rewarded by God.

Since being deemed a mohareb is punishable by death in Iran’s theocracy, some have interpreted this as a death sentence targeting Trump. Though surely the fatwa........

© Daily Intelligencer