In a chilling escalation of international tensions, a prominent watchdog organization has uncovered a series of death threats issued by Iranian clerics against President Donald Trump, other American citizens, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to Fox News, a new report by United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) demands immediate U.S. sanctions on senior Iranian clerics and regime-linked entities for promoting fatwas that incite violence and terrorism against these high-profile figures.
The report, released recently by UANI, identifies 11 individuals and two institutions tied to the Iranian regime that have openly endorsed or issued these dangerous decrees.
These fatwas, or religious edicts, label their targets as "mohareb," a term in Iran's penal code meaning waging war against God, which can result in severe punishments like crucifixion or cross-amputation under the regime's strict interpretation of Sharia law. UANI argues that such pronouncements are not mere rhetoric but direct incitements to terrorism. The organization is pushing for the U.S. government to classify these individuals and entities as Specially Designated Global Terrorists under Executive Order 13224.
Among those named in the report is Ayatollah Naser Makarem-Shirazi, a cleric known as the "Sultan of Sugar" for his control over Iran's sugar trade, who has explicitly called for the execution of Trump and Netanyahu with torture preceding death. Another figure, Ayatollah Hossein Nouri Hamedani, a former student of Ayatollah Khomeini and his representative in Europe decades ago, has issued similar threats against both leaders and the Jewish community over the years. Ayatollah Mohsen Araki, once the supreme leader's representative in the United Kingdom and head of the Islamic Center of England, recently declared that the lives and property of Trump and Netanyahu are no longer protected.
Araki's statement this month was stark and alarming. "Their lives and property are no longer protected," he said. "The U.S. government and president are now considered a hostile infidel government by all Muslims," Araki added.
The Islamic Center of England, described by UANI as a hub for exporting Iran's revolutionary ideology in Europe, is one of the entities targeted for sanctions. Additionally, the Qom Seminary, Iran's leading religious training center, has publicly supported the fatwas against Trump and Netanyahu, with faculty and students signing declarations to spread the decree. UANI also points to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the state-run television network, for airing content that promoted a $10 to $20 million bounty on Trump's life and even solicited public donations to fund such an act.
The IRIB's Tehran studio was notably struck by the Israeli Air Force during a recent 12-day conflict, underscoring the real-world tensions tied to these threats. UANI draws a parallel to the 2022 knife attack on author Salman Rushdie, who was left blind in one eye after being targeted by a fatwa-inspired assailant. This incident, the group argues, shows how such edicts can lead to actual violence.
Former Gov. Jeb Bush, UANI's chairman, and Ambassador Mark Wallace, the group's CEO, issued a joint statement on the gravity of these threats. "Today UANI is exposing the individuals and entities in Iran hiding behind religion to foment terrorism abroad," they said. "Threats against the president of the United States and other Americans are a federal crime. Each of these individuals and entities should be sanctioned, indicted, and banned from travel, along with their families, to the United States and its allies," they added.
Bush and Wallace also referenced the Rushdie attack in their call for action. "The last fatwa against another American citizen, Salman Rushdie, almost cost him his life, with him being stabbed by an Iranian regime sympathizer," they noted. "It is time to ensure that those who threaten Americans face the full force of the law," they concluded.
Another individual highlighted in the report is Alireza Panahian, a cleric connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who is seen as a central figure in promoting Mahdism, an extremist ideology advocating the destruction of Israel and annihilation of Jews as steps toward a messianic return. Panahian has also openly supported terrorist actions against U.S.-led forces in the Middle East and other regions. His rhetoric, UANI warns, exemplifies the dangerous ideologies being propagated under the guise of religious authority.
Jason Brodsky, UANI's policy director, emphasized the seriousness of these threats. "These aren't abstract religious statements. They're targeted threats by regime officials against the president of the United States," Brodsky said. "The U.S. should respond accordingly—with sanctions, law enforcement action, and immigration reviews," he urged.
Brodsky also raised alarms about the broader implications of these actions. "This raises serious concerns about how the regime spreads radicalism through so-called religious charities abroad," he noted. The global reach of such entities, he suggested, poses a significant risk to international security. Reflecting on past violence, Brodsky reiterated the potential for fatwas to inspire real harm. "We only have to remember what happened to Salman Rushdie to see how these fatwas can inspire real-world violence," he said. "Now these same incitements are being directed at President Trump while he's in office," Brodsky warned.
The UANI report serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing tensions between Iran and the United States, particularly as threats against American leaders escalate. The organization's push for sanctions and legal action aims to curb the influence of these Iranian figures and entities. As the situation unfolds, the international community watches closely to see how the U.S. government will address these provocative fatwas and the potential dangers they represent.